Month: December 2019

Categories
Jonah

Jonah Introduction

Digital image

Introduction

The Book of Jonah

is unlike other prophetic books of the Bible in that it is a narrative, describing the adventures of a prophet who tried to disobey God’s command. God told him to go to Nineveh, the capital of the great empire of Assyria, Israel’s deadly enemy. But Jonah did not want to go there with God’s message, because he was convinced that God would not carry out his threat to destroy the city. After a series of dramatic events, he reluctantly obeyed, and finally sulked when his message of doom did not come true.

The book portrays God’s absolute sovereignty over his creation. But above all it portrays God as a God of love and mercy, who would rather forgive and save even the enemies of his people, than punish and destroy them.

Outline of Contents

Jonah’s call and disobedience (1.1-17)

Jonah’s repentance and deliverance (2.1-10)

Jonah’s message against Nineveh (3.1-10)

God’s mercy on Nineveh (4.1-11)

Categories
Jonah

Jonah 1

Jonah Disobeys the Lord

1 One day theLordspoke to Jonah son of Amittai.

2 He said, “Go to Nineveh, that great city, and speak out against it; I am aware of how wicked its people are.”

3 Jonah, however, set out in the opposite direction in order to get away from theLord. He went to Joppa, where he found a ship about to go to Spain. He paid his fare and went aboard with the crew to sail to Spain, where he would be away from theLord.

4 But theLordsent a strong wind on the sea, and the storm was so violent that the ship was in danger of breaking up.

5 The sailors were terrified and cried out for help, each one to his own god. Then, in order to lessen the danger,they threw the cargooverboard. Meanwhile, Jonah had gone below and was lying in the ship’s hold, sound asleep.

6 The captain found him there and said to him, “What are you doing asleep? Get up and pray to your god for help. Maybe he will feel sorry for us and spare our lives.”

7 The sailors said to each other, “Let’s draw lots and find out who is to blame for getting us into this danger.” They did so, and Jonah’s name was drawn.

8 So they said to him, “Now, then, tell us! Who is to blame for this? What are you doing here? What country do you come from? What is your nationality?”

9 “I am a Hebrew,” Jonah answered. “I worship theLord, the God of heaven, who made land and sea.”

10 Jonah went on to tell them that he was running away from theLord.

The sailors were terrified, and said to him, “That was an awful thing to do!”

11 The storm was getting worse all the time, so the sailors asked him, “What should we do to you to stop the storm?”

12 Jonah answered, “Throw me into the sea, and it will calm down. I know it is my fault that you are caught in this violent storm.”

13 Instead, the sailors tried to get the ship to shore, rowing with all their might. But the storm was becoming worse and worse, and they got nowhere.

14 So they cried out to theLord, “OLord, we pray, don’t punish us with death for taking this man’s life! You, OLord, are responsible for all this; it is your doing.”

15 Then they picked Jonah up and threw him into the sea, and it calmed down at once.

16 This made the sailors so afraid of theLordthat they offered a sacrifice and promised to serve him.

17 At theLord’s command a large fish swallowed Jonah, and he was inside the fish for three days and three nights.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/JON/1-df8ca7452aea3ed9653d1fafa3708be5.mp3?version_id=68—

Categories
Jonah

Jonah 2

Jonah’s Prayer

1 From deep inside the fish Jonah prayed to theLordhis God:

2 “In my distress, OLord, I called to you,

and you answered me.

From deep in the world of the dead

I cried for help, and you heard me.

3 You threw me down into the depths,

to the very bottom of the sea,

where the waters were all around me,

and all your mighty waves rolled over me.

4 I thought I had been banished from your presence

and would never see your holy Temple again.

5 The water came over me and choked me;

the sea covered me completely,

and seaweed wrapped around my head.

6 I went down to the very roots of the mountains,

into the land whose gates lock shut forever.

But you, OLordmy God,

brought me back from the depths alive.

7 When I felt my life slipping away,

then, OLord, I prayed to you,

and in your holy Temple you heard me.

8 Those who worship worthless idols

have abandoned their loyalty to you.

9 But I will sing praises to you;

I will offer you a sacrifice

and do what I have promised.

Salvation comes from theLord!”

10 Then theLordordered the fish to spit Jonah up on the beach, and it did.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/JON/2-ca9a1e1fdc442186d01cbc5ef9451bc0.mp3?version_id=68—

Categories
Jonah

Jonah 3

Jonah Obeys the Lord

1 Once again theLordspoke to Jonah.

2 He said, “Go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to the people the message I have given you.”

3 So Jonah obeyed theLordand went to Nineveh, a city so large that it took three days to walk through it.

4 Jonah started through the city, and after walking a whole day, he proclaimed, “In forty days Nineveh will be destroyed!”

5 The people of Nineveh believed God’s message. So they decided that everyone should fast, and all the people, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth to show that they had repented.

6 When the king of Nineveh heard about it, he got up from his throne, took off his robe, put on sackcloth, and sat down in ashes.

7 He sent out a proclamation to the people of Nineveh: “This is an order from the king and his officials: No one is to eat anything; all persons, cattle, and sheep are forbidden to eat or drink.

8 All persons and animals must wear sackcloth. Everyone must pray earnestly to God and must give up their wicked behavior and their evil actions.

9 Perhaps God will change his mind; perhaps he will stop being angry, and we will not die!”

10 God saw what they did; he saw that they had given up their wicked behavior. So he changed his mind and did not punish them as he had said he would.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/JON/3-a62e42b9154239afa90be5708e4b1225.mp3?version_id=68—

Categories
Jonah

Jonah 4

Jonah’s Anger and God’s Mercy

1 Jonah was very unhappy about this and became angry.

2 So he prayed, “Lord, didn’t I say before I left home that this is just what you would do? That’s why I did my best to run away to Spain! I knew that you are a loving and merciful God, always patient, always kind, and always ready to change your mind and not punish.

3 Now then,Lord, let me die. I am better off dead than alive.”

4 TheLordanswered, “What right do you have to be angry?”

5 Jonah went out east of the city and sat down. He made a shelter for himself and sat in its shade, waiting to see what would happen to Nineveh.

6 Then theLordGod made a plant grow up over Jonah to give him some shade, so that he would be more comfortable. Jonah was extremely pleased with the plant.

7 But at dawn the next day, at God’s command, a worm attacked the plant, and it died.

8 After the sun had risen, God sent a hot east wind, and Jonah was about to faint from the heat of the sun beating down on his head. So he wished he were dead.“I am better off dead than alive,” he said.

9 But God said to him, “What right do you have to be angry about the plant?”

Jonah replied, “I have every right to be angry—angry enough to die!”

10 TheLordsaid to him, “This plant grew up in one night and disappeared the next; you didn’t do anything for it and you didn’t make it grow—yet you feel sorry for it!

11 How much more, then, should I have pity on Nineveh, that great city. After all, it has more than 120,000 innocent children in it, as well as many animals!”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/JON/4-730bfe93d52b929a3281377ad77e7b56.mp3?version_id=68—

Categories
Micah

Micah Introduction

6th Station of the Cross

Introduction

The prophet Micah, a contemporary of Isaiah, was from a country town in Judah, the southern kingdom. He was convinced that Judah was about to face the same kind of national catastrophe that Amos had predicted for the northern kingdom, and for the same reason God would punish the hateful injustice of the people. Micah’s message, however, contains more clear and notable signs of hope for the future.

Passages especially worth noting are the picture of universal peace under God (4.1-4); the prediction of a great king who would come from the family line of David and bring peace to the nation (5.2-5a); and, in a single verse (6.8), the summary of much that the prophets of Israel had to say: “What he requires of us is this: to do what is just, to show constant love, and to live in humble fellowship with our God.”

Outline of Contents

Judgment on Israel and Judah (1.1—3.12)

Restoration and peace (4.1—5.15)

Message of warning and hope (6.1—7.20)

Categories
Micah

Micah 1

1 During the time that Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah, theLordgave this message to Micah, who was from the town of Moresheth. TheLordrevealed to Micah all these things about Samaria and Jerusalem.

A Lament for Samaria and Jerusalem

2 Hear this, all you nations;

listen to this, all who live on earth!

The SovereignLordwill testify against you.

Listen! He speaks from his heavenly temple.

3 TheLordis coming from his holy place;

he will come down and walk on the tops of the mountains.

4 Then the mountains will melt under him

like wax in a fire;

they will pour down into the valleys

like water pouring down a hill.

5 All this will happen because the people of Israel have sinned and rebelled against God. Who is to blame for Israel’s rebellion? Samaria, the capital city itself! Who is guilty of idolatry in Judah? Jerusalem itself!

6 So theLordsays, “I will make Samaria a pile of ruins in the open country, a place for planting grapevines. I will pour the rubble of the city down into the valley, and will lay bare the city’s foundations.

7 All its precious idols will be smashed to pieces, everything given to its temple prostitutes will be destroyed by fire, and all its images will become a desolate heap. Samaria acquired these things for its fertility rites, and now her enemies will carry them off for temple prostitutes elsewhere.”

8 Then Micah said, “Because of this I will mourn and lament. To show my sorrow, I will walk around barefoot and naked. I will howl like a jackal and wail like an ostrich.

9 Samaria’s wounds cannot be healed, and Judah is about to suffer in the same way; destruction has reached the gates of Jerusalem itself, where my people live.”

The Enemy Approaches Jerusalem

10 Don’t tell our enemies in Gath about our defeat; don’t let them see you weeping. People of Beth Leaphrah,show your despair by rolling in the dust!

11 You people of Shaphir, go into exile, naked and ashamed. Those who live in Zaanan do not dare to come out of their city. When you hear the people of Bethezel mourn, you will know that there is no refuge there.

12 The people of Maroth anxiously wait for relief, because theLordhas brought disaster close to Jerusalem.

13 You that live in Lachish, hitch the horses to the chariots. You imitated the sins of Israel and so caused Jerusalem to sin.

14 And now, people of Judah, say good-bye to the town of Moresheth Gath. The kings of Israel will get no help from the town of Achzib.

15 People of Mareshah, theLordwill hand you over to an enemy, who is going to capture your town. The leaders of Israel will go and hide in the cave at Adullam.

16 People of Judah, cut off your hair in mourning for the children you love. Make yourselves as bald as vultures, because your children will be taken away from you into exile.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/MIC/1-f4dd7393859289d2d936952c40e9dd04.mp3?version_id=68—

Categories
Micah

Micah 2

The Fate of Those Who Oppress the Poor

1 How terrible it will be for those who lie awake and plan evil! When morning comes, as soon as they have the chance, they do the evil they planned.

2 When they want fields, they seize them; when they want houses, they take them. No one’s family or property is safe.

3 And so theLordsays, “I am planning to bring disaster on you, and you will not be able to escape it. You are going to find yourselves in trouble, and then you will not walk so proudly any more.

4 When that time comes, people will use the story about you as an example of disaster, and they will sing this song of despair about your experience:

We are completely ruined!

TheLordhas taken our land away

And given it to those who took us captive.”

5 So then, when the time comes for the land to be given back to theLord’s people, there will be no share for any of you.

6 The people preach at me and say, “Don’t preach at us. Don’t preach about all that. God is not going to disgrace us.

7 Do you think the people of Israel are under a curse?Has theLordlost his patience? Would he really do such things? Doesn’t hespeak kindly to those who do right?”

8 TheLordreplies, “You attack my peoplelike enemies. Men return from battle, thinking they are safe at home, but there you are, waiting to steal the coats off their backs.

9 You drive the women of my people out of the homes they love, and you have robbed their children of my blessings forever.

10 Get up and go; there is no safety here any more. Your sins have doomed this place to destruction.

11 “These people want the kind of prophet who goes around full of lies and deceit and says, ‘I prophesy that wine and liquor will flow for you.’

12 “But I will gather you together, all you people of Israel that are left. I will bring you together like sheep returning to the fold. Like a pasture full of sheep, your land will once again be filled with many people.”

13 God will open the way for them and lead them out of exile. They will break out of the city gates and go free. Their king, theLordhimself, will lead them out.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/MIC/2-af645f5be89c09b2c4b3054b54635ecd.mp3?version_id=68—

Categories
Micah

Micah 3

Micah Denounces Israel’s Leaders

1 Listen, you rulers of Israel! You are supposed to be concerned about justice,

2 yet you hate what is good and you love what is evil. You skin my people alive and tear the flesh off their bones.

3 You eat my people up. You strip off their skin, break their bones, and chop them up like meat for the pot.

4 The time is coming when you will cry out to theLord, but he will not answer you. He will not listen to your prayers, for you have done evil.

5 My people are deceived by prophets who promise peace to those who pay them, but threaten war for those who don’t. To these prophets theLordsays,

6 “Prophets, your day is almost over; the sun is going down on you. Because you mislead my people, you will have no more prophetic visions, and you will not be able to predict anything.”

7 Those who predict the future will be disgraced by their failure. They will all be humiliated because God does not answer them.

8 But as for me, theLordfills me with his spirit and power, and gives me a sense of justice and the courage to tell the people of Israel what their sins are.

9 Listen to me, you rulers of Israel, you that hate justice and turn right into wrong.

10 You are building God’s city, Jerusalem, on a foundation of murder and injustice.

11 The city’s rulers govern for bribes, the priests interpret the Law for pay, the prophets give their revelations for money—and they all claim that theLordis with them. “No harm will come to us,” they say. “TheLordis with us.”

12 And so, because of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a pile of ruins, and the Temple hill will become a forest.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/MIC/3-395aab1ca5157049641e3d0fb96fab0f.mp3?version_id=68—

Categories
Micah

Micah 4

The Lord’s Universal Reign of Peace

1 In days to come

the mountain where the Temple stands

will be the highest one of all,

towering above all the hills.

Many nations will come streaming to it,

2 and their people will say,

“Let us go up the hill of theLord,

to the Temple of Israel’s God.

He will teach us what he wants us to do;

we will walk in the paths he has chosen.

For theLord’s teaching comes from Jerusalem;

from Zion he speaks to his people.”

3 He will settle disputes among the nations,

among the great powers near and far.

They will hammer their swords into plows

and their spears into pruning knives.

Nations will never again go to war,

never prepare for battle again.

4 Everyone will live in peace

among their own vineyards and fig trees,

and no one will make them afraid.

TheLordAlmighty has promised this.

5 Each nation worships and obeys its own god, but we will worship and obey theLordour God forever and ever.

Israel Will Return from Exile

6 “The time is coming,” says theLord, “when I will gather together the people I punished, those who have suffered in exile.

7 They are crippled and far from home, but I will make a new beginning with those who are left, and they will become a great nation. I will rule over them on Mount Zion from that time on and forever.”

8 And you, Jerusalem, where God, like a shepherd from his lookout tower, watches over his people, will once again be the capital of the kingdom that was yours.

9 Why do you cry out so loudly? Why are you suffering like a woman in labor? Is it because you have no king, and your counselors are dead?

10 Twist and groan,people of Jerusalem, like a woman giving birth, for now you will have to leave the city and live in the open country. You will have to go to Babylon, but there theLordwill save you from your enemies.

11 Many nations have gathered to attack you. They say, “Jerusalem must be destroyed! We will see this city in ruins!”

12 But these nations do not know what is in theLord’s mind. They do not realize that they have been gathered together to be punished in the same way that grain is brought in to be threshed.

13 TheLordsays, “People of Jerusalem, go and punish your enemies! I will make you as strong as a bull with iron horns and bronze hoofs. You will crush many nations, and the wealth they got by violence you will present to me, the Lord of the whole world.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/MIC/4-3cdc786c0e0740820123fd4decc7a3c9.mp3?version_id=68—