Calvary PSL Women

Week 36

Believe it or not….by this time next week, you will have finished Ezekiel and Jeremiah and will find yourself back in Daniel.  As of today, we are only 24 days away from beginning the New Testament.

I think you will find some startling warnings in Ezekiel this week.  First, God makes Ezekiel the watchman for the nation.  In 33:8 God tells him that He will hold Ezekiel responsible for someone dying in their sins if he does not warn them to repent and change their ways.  That is a heavy responsibility and burden for Ezekiel to carry. 

From Ezekiel chapter 33 - 48 we have and will continue to read about Israel’s future.  We saw the conflict with Gog and Magog which many scholars believe to be Russia.  This week we will read of the new order for the nation which includes the plans for the new Temple, sacrifices, and the priests as well as God’s plan to live among them forever.  Keep in mind these prophesies have not been fulfilled. 

You will read in Daniel another dream interpretation of King Nebuchadnezzar’s. Pride is at the root of God’s punishment.  But, rejoice at the outcome.  King Nebuchadnezzar statement in 4:37 sums it up, “…praise and glorify and honor the King of heaven.  All his acts are just and true, and he is able to humble the proud.” 

This week you will also pick up a few passages of the geneology of the 12 tribes of Israel from 1 Chronicles. 

Challenge:  Persevere!  You are almost to the Old Testament finish line.  That is a wonderful accomplishment.

Obadiah is a minor prophet whose name means “the servant of Jehovah”.  His small book is actually the shortest in the entire Old and New Testament!  But he packs a wallop against Edom.

As a reminder, Edom is the nation comprised of the descendants of Esau. Esau was the twin brother of Jacob whose name was changed by God to Israel.  Jacob deceived Esau and stole his birth right and his inheritance (see Genesis).  Later when the nation Israel was wondering in the wilderness after leaving Egypt, Edom refused to allow the Israelites to pass through their territory.  Edom was an enemy of Israel’s throughout its existence.

Have you ever heard the statements…”your sins will find you out” or “your deeds will come back to haunt you”? In verse 10 of the prophesy we see God saying, “Because of the violence you did to your close relatives in Israel, you will be filled with shame and destroyed forever.”  Wow!  Did this prophesy come true?  For sure….we have no Edomites today.  Yet God’s faithfulness to His covenant people is evidenced today.  He continues to draw the Jews to their home in Israel setting the stage for prophecy’s fulfillment.

Edom’s pride is the reason God intends on destroying the nation totally.  In verse 3 we see the nation thought they were above everyone because of their lofty rock fortress.  They felt they could not be touched.  Verse 10 shows their violence against Israel which is evidence of pride.  (Think of the bully who pushes the weaker kid around) Verse 11 shows their indifference to others suffering which is also prideful.  They had an attitude of someone else’s problem isn’t worth my time or energy.  vs 12 and 13 show how they gloated over the problems Israel faced probably feeling like it “serves them right”.  

At the end of the prophesy, God says His people will occupy the mountains of Edom.  We know of no time in the past history that Israel’s borders included the nation Edom.  So, that could only mean that it will happen in the future still.  The city Petra in Edom is considered by some “End Times” scholars to be the place the Jews will go to escape persecution during the Tribulation period.  Today it is considered one of the world’s wonders. 

Challenge:  Google Petra and see what it looks like.

As we have been making our way through Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, we have read some very explicit descriptions of the sin of Israel and Judah.   Ezekiel and Jeremiah have shown us   the destruction and suffering God will cause the people to endure.  We have also seen how God keeps reassuring them of restoration and His presence.  He not only promised to restore Israel physically, but spiritually as well.  He tells them “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you;…I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes….”  Sounds like Psalm 51 to me.  Did you notice He didn’t tell them He was going to fix their old heart?  He said He was going to give them a new heart.  A new Spirit…His Spirit!  Just like He gives us a new heart, a new Spirit, His Spirit… to transform us and to empower us to do His will.  No matter where you are right now, Christ offers us a fresh start.  A new heart.  A new Spirit.  It’s a promise!  Don’t try to fix your old heart.  Let Him give you a new one!  Let him give you His Spirit.  The end result?  Peace.  Just like for Israel… their end result will one day be peace.  We can have God’s peace now.  Deep and lasting peace.  Not the world’s peace.  The world’s definition of peace is the absence of conflict.  The peace we have in Christ is the confident assurance of His presence in any circumstance.  With that kind of peace, there is no fear of our present circumstances or fear of the future.  Are you filled with His peace?  Wow…once again, Sunday’s message ties right  in here… if you missed it, go back and listen to it.

A Lot is happeing at CCPSL!

We are all looking forward to Connection Sunday, Sept. 14 which will kick off all of the Life Groups in the church.  If you didn’t get a brochure on Sunday, make sure you get one this week.  I am confident there is something for you!  Click on Events in the tool bar and see what Women’s Ministry has for you.

Week 35

Over the next few days we will read the second book written by the prophet Jeremiah.  By now, there is no wonder why Jeremiah is referred to as the “weeping prophet”

Early Greek translations of the book of Lamentations make note that Jeremiah uttered these laments while sitting on the hillside overlooking the desolate city of Jerusalem.  Can you imagine the heartache after living years trying to urge the people to turn from their wickedness and now seeing the consequences as a reality!

As I was preparing to write this introduction I was again struck by how timely our reading is with the sermons we receive on Sunday.  Lamentations speaks of the sorrow, heartbreak, grief, troubles that have come to the nation Israel and to Jeremiah.  In our study of Philippians, Pastor Mike encouraged us through his message entitled “Why God?” which was like a commentary for what Jeremiah felt and learned through his suffering.

The style of Lamentations was written as in Hebrew poetry.  In most of the chapters, each verse used a different letter of the alphabet.  This would indicate that Jeremiah chose his words well to express his heart.

Each chapter also expresses a particular aspect of sorrow and then reveals an insight or a lesson from God.  Chapter 1: loneliness and desolation but through the sorrow he realizes that God is right! vs 18.  Chapter 2: describes the thorough destruction of the judgment. But the lesson was that God is in total control using Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians to bring about what He said He would do.  He is faithful to His Word.  Chapter 3: Jeremiah dwells on his personal pain but in verse 21 - 27 we read “Yet I dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness………. And it is good for people to submit at an early age to the yoke of his discipline.” Chapter 4: Jeremiah’s shock which is the stage of grief when reality firmly sets in.  But he realizes that it isn’t total annihilation but God will restore them.  Chapter 5: He now deals with the humiliation of the destruction.  A nation whose God dwelt among them now in ruins and in captivity.  But through it all God remains forever.  He is the One who stands consistent forever.

Challenge:

If you missed the Sunday message, please take time to listen.  See the link to the left for Pastor Mike’s messages.

Reflect on times past where you were in difficult times….loss, heartache, grief, stress…..and see if you can see the faithfulness of God.  Did you come out of those times changed?  Did you find Jesus during them?  Did He show you something about yourself?  Was your faith strengthened?  Are you prepared for the next season of trials?