Tag Archives: Prophet

Chapter-a-Day

Chapter-a-Day Hosea 11

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For someday the people will follow me.
    I, the Lord, will roar like a lion.
And when I roar,
    my people will return trembling from the west.
Hosea 11:10 (NLT)

When reading through the writings of the ancient prophets like Hosea, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with the repetitive doom and gloom. It’s important to realize that the prophetic texts were not typically written to be one cohesive book. Books like Hosea’s were a collection of their messages, and every preacher gets a little repetitive over time.

True prophets are critics by their very nature. They point out wrong actions and remind people of the eventual consequences of those actions. Because people are generally hard headed and we like to excuse our moral failings the prophets continue to hammer their message over and over and over.

Along the way, I’ve come to notice that the crux of the prophet’s message is not in the heavy forecast of immediate gloom, but in the ray of sunshine that eventually always appears in the extended outlook. I couldn’t help but think of the Prodigal’s father as I read the above verse in today’s chapter. After the long suffering of watching the Prodigal rebel, runaway, and foolishly squander the family fortune the father eventually sees his broken and repentant son return.

Today, I’m thinking about God’s own long suffering with me. I am grateful that the story is not about the immediate gloom, but in the extended outlook for son-shine.

Chapter-a-Day

Chapter-a-Day Jeremiah 26

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Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of the Unite...
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When Jeremiah had finished his sermon, saying everything God had commanded him to say, the priests and prophets and people all grabbed him, yelling, “Death! You’re going to die for this! How dare you preach—and using God’s name!—saying that this Temple will become a heap of rubble like Shiloh and this city be wiped out without a soul left in it!”

   All the people mobbed Jeremiah right in the Temple itself. Jeremiah 26:8-9 (MSG)

In the early 1930’s, a young member of Britain’s Parliment began boldly warning that Germany and it’s upstart leader, Adolph Hitler, were arming for war. With the painful memories of World War I still fresh in their minds, no one in England wanted to hear the dire warnings. The prophetic member of Parliment was roundly criticized and shunned. Undaunted by the criticism, he was stalwart in raising the alarm and calling for England to prepare for war.

His name was Winston Churchill. And, much like Jeremiah, history now records how prescient his warnings were. Were it not for Churchill, the second World War may have had a very different outcome. I find it fascinating how one individual can be so critical in the course of world history.

We need prophets. Nationally, locally, individually, we need people who are willing to say the things no one else will say and bring to the conversation the things we don’t want to hear. We need people in our lives who will speak truth when there are so many other voices hell-bent on tickling our ears with the status quo.

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Chapter-a-Day

Chapter-a-Day 2 Chronicles 16

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At that, Asa lost his temper. Angry, he put Hanani in the stocks. At the same time Asa started abusing some of the people. 2 Chronicles 16:10 (MSG)

“Shoot the messenger.” – Shakespeare, Henry IV

In my daily vocation I have the opportunity to stand in the shoes of the herald, and sometimes those of the prophet. I walk into a boardroom, or perhaps a small conference room, and share what customers think of my client and their service. The news isn’t always pretty and clients haven’t always responded gracefully.

There is a long, historic tradition of responding to truth (often, the truth is ill news) by shooting the messenger. Shakespeare may have been the first to say it in such a way that it stuck in our collective psyche, but the actualy act of shooting the messenger goes as far back as human history. We see it in today’s chapter.

Asa blew it. Hanani confronts him with the plain truth of the matter, and reveals the tragic flaw in Asa’s actions. King Asa responds, not in repentance, but by lashing out in anger. He has poor Hanani, the prophet, thrown into the stocks and takes his anger out on every one around him.

Having been the bearer of bad news, I hope that I am a better hearer of truth when confronted with bad news regarding my own words or actions. I hope that I can listen with humility, and accept truth graciously.

Hearing the truth is often difficult. Responding appropriately is harder still.

Chapter-a-Day

Chapter-a-Day Isaiah 20

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Shocked! God told Isaiah son of Amoz, "Go, take off your clothes and sandals," and Isaiah did it, going about naked and barefooted. Isaiah 20:2 (MSG)

Picture it yourself. Isaiah, the man of God, naked and barefoot walking through the streets of Jerusalem. People's eyes growing wide as they came upon him. Women screaming and quickly looking the other way so they don't have to look at his pasty white butt. People quickly crossing the street to avoid him. Men standing outside the local pub jeering at him. Good church-going religious people screaming insults and picking up stones to throw at him to punish his despicable act of public indecency.

Scandalous.
Preposterous.
Shameful.

"Quick! Hide the children's eyes!"

Imagine the talk at the dinner table that night.

"Who does he think he is? He calls himself a prophet? A man of God would never do that! God wouldn't ask someone to do something like that!"

"He's crazy, I tell you. Completely insane. I've always said that Isaiah was a few bricks shy of a full load."

"I'm telling you right now, we're going to the temple tomorrow and having a talk with the high priest. I'm going to give him a piece of my mind. Either that crack-pot, Isaiah, gets thrown out of the temple for good or I'm not going to give one more shekel to the Temple renovation project!"

Yes, God told him to do it. God is a God of metaphor and the prophets were his mouthpiece. The people refused to heed God's words, so God told Isaiah to give the good religious people of Jerusalem a word picture they could not ignore.

The more I study God's Message the more I conclude that God is not as concerned about social propriety as many of the people who claim to be His most faithful followers. God is much more concerned with our sincere and active love - our honest and humble obedience than he is about our propriety and public image.

Creative Commons photo courtesy of Flickr and dieselbug2007

Chapter-a-Day

Chapter-a-Day 1 Kings 22

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Willing not to follow the crowd. The king of Israel told Jehoshaphat, "As a matter of fact, there is still one such man. But I hate him. He never preaches anything good to me, only doom, doom, doom—Micaiah son of Imlah." 1 Kings 22:8a (MSG)

As a consultant, I often have the opportunity to observe the culture of a company as an outsider. It is always fascinating to me how middle managers and upper management relate to the President or CEO of a company. I often watch people wrangle with how they will approach the top dog. They sweat over what they should say and how they should say it. Many live in terror of the meeting in which they must address their company's executive. They are afraid of consequences if they offend the boss, so they attempt to diving exactly what he or she wants to hear.

As I read about the 400 prophets blindly telling the King of Israel exactly what he wanted to hear, I thought about the hoardes of corporate "yes men" I've observed through the years covering their collective asses and lining up to say exactly what their boss wants them to say.

It gives me an even greater love and appreciation for Micaiah, who is willing to be the lone voice of truth in a culture that panders to the whims of their leader. He is so sold out to God's truth that he is willing to face painful consequences rather than fall in line with the other lemmings.

God, grant me the courage and commitment of Micaiah.

Creative Commons photo courtesy of Flickr and Ric e Ette