Gideon's 300 Men

Then the LORD said to Gideon, “By the three hundred men who lapped I will save you, and deliver the Midianites into your hand. Let all the other people go, every man to his place.” Judges 7:7

Gideon was given the task of delivering the Israelites from the Midianites, desert nomads who repeatedly raided Israel. Gideon the judge portrayed our Lord Jesus Christ in two interesting ways. First of all, when Gideon was choosing men to fight against the enemies, he had 32,000 volunteers who joined his army. God instructed him to reduce the number of men lest Israel should claim glory for herself when He grants them victory. The fearful and afraid were sent home and Gideon was left with 10,000 men (Judg. 7:2-3). However, God was still not satisfied with the number of people and He put them through another test. This time, He tested their alertness and readiness. Those who knelt down to drink with their mouths in the stream were sent home. Only 300 passed (7:6-7)! In a similar way, Jesus chooses only those worthy to be in His army. He never appealed to the crowd, He went after serious disciples. The Bible says many are called but few are chosen (Matt. 22:14). Among the called and chosen, you find another category of people: those that are found faithful (Rev. 17:14).

Secondly, both Gideon and Jesus shared the same strategy in their missions. Gideon and his men all had pitchers in their left hand and trumpets in their right. When they launched their attack, they blew the trumpet, broke the pitchers, each concealing a torch within, to allow the light of the torches to shine forth as they charged forward (Judg. 7:19-21). On the cross of Calvary, Jesus died in His mortal human body-an earthen vessel of clay. His body was broken so that the light of God can shine forth and dispel the darkness of sin in our lives.

Your trumpet is the gospel you need to proclaim to the whole world. As you crucify your old man with Christ, you are breaking your pitcher. And the glory of the new man, which bears the life of Christ, can then shine forth. Jesus says, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:16).

Repentance

“They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘This is My people’; And each one will say, ‘The LORD is my God.’” Zechariah 13:9

Zechariah was prophesying about the coming of the Messiah, the One who was pierced. It is amazing how Jesus was sentenced to die by crucifixion even though the Jewish law required Him to be stoned. And when He was crucified, the Roman soldier, though ignorant of the prophecy, pierced him with his spear. The prophecy was fulfilled right down to the very last detail. Jesus Himself testified that every prophecy in the Old Testament would be fulfilled: “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill” (Matt. 5:17).

Just as the prophecy of Jesus’ death was fulfilled, the conversion of the Jews promised in this same verse will come to pass. Though the Jewish people were guilty of Jesus’ death, the day will come when they will repent and believe on Him. In Zechariah 12:10, it reveals the way this repentance will come to the Jewish people. This is also the same way we experience repentance.

1) Repentance is the work of the Holy Spirit. “I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication.” “And when He [the Holy Spirit] has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16:8). Repentance is not produced by our conscience, by terror, or by the persuasion of men. It comes as a gift of grace. It is the work of the Holy Spirit. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God” (Eph. 2:8).

2) Repentance comes by looking to Jesus. “Then they will look on Me whom they pierced.” As we gaze at the holiness and purity of Jesus, we will realize how terrible a sinner we are. When we look at the cross of Calvary, we see the horrible hatred that sin bears toward purity, because it slew an innocent Man, the Holy Son of God. We will realize such is the terrible guilt of our sin that nothing but death can atone for it. Jesus became that sacrifice for the forgiveness of our sin.

3) Repentance is a deep godly sorrow. “They will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son.” The effect of us looking to Christ is that it makes us mourn in sorrow for the condition of our heart. Paul said that “godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted” (2 Cor. 7:10). This was what happened on the Day of Pentecost, when Peter preached to the multitude. When the people heard the message, those who had a hand in “piercing the Messiah” were cut to the heart, and cried out, “What shall we do?” (Acts 2:37). As a result, there was great repentance.

The End-Time Harvest

Ask the LORD for rain in the time of the latter rain. The LORD will make flashing clouds; He will give them showers of rain, grass in the field for everyone. Zechariah 10:1

The latter rain takes place during the grain harvest, sometime between April to June every year. This rainy season is very important because the greater the shower, the greater the harvest. In other words, without the rain, there can be no harvest. Zechariah was prophesying concerning the promise of the harvest of souls before the second coming of Christ. James also talks about this coming rain in the end-times that will usher in the worldwide harvest. “Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain” (James 5:7). In the time of the latter rain, we will see the harvest of souls coming into the kingdom of God like never before in the history of the world. Jesus Himself bore witness to this fact. “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come” (Matt. 24:14).

The latter rain is really the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit comes, He will bring conviction to the hearts of men. “And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16:8). He will testify and reveal Jesus Christ to the sinners. “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me” (15:26). We need the rain of the Holy Spirit for the harvest to come in. It’s simple: No rain, no harvest. Greater rain, greater harvest! In these last days, we need the Holy Spirit’s work more than ever before. For too long the Church has neglected the Holy Spirit. That is why many Christians are dry, unfruitful and unproductive. We are living in the time of the latter rain, and the Holy Spirit’s work over the last 2,000 years has been to mature the Body of Christ. The Holy Spirit wants to bring about the restoration of all things (Acts 3:21) and gather in the greatest harvest of souls before the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The end-time Church has to be discerning and rise up to the occasion in prayer and supplication. The prophet Jeremiah warned about missing the time of the harvest. “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved” (Jer. 8:20). Jesus said, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest” (Luke 10:2).

The Holy Spirit is the Lord of the harvest. We can and we must intensify our prayer to ask the Lord for the latter rain. We need a new anointing; a new boldness; a renewed passion and compassion for the lost. Make a prayer to God right now that He will empower you to be a witness for Him in your Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and eventually to the ends of the earth!

Be Faithful To God

Then he said to me, “This is the curse that goes out over the face of the whole earth: ‘Every thief shall be expelled,’ according to this side of the scroll; and, ‘Every perjurer shall be expelled,’ according to that side of it.” Zechariah 5:3

Firstly, the vision reveals a “thief” in the house (Zech. 5:3). A “thief” is someone who has robbed God by taking what is rightfully His. Malachi 3:8 says, “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings” (Mal. 3:8). This was the situation in the days of Zechariah and Haggai. The people were not faithfully giving their tithes to God. This problem on tithing has been a perpetual problem throughout the history of the Church. Apostle Paul says, “For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen” (Rom. 11:36). As the Creator, God owns everything. Tithing is returning to God a tenth of all that He has given to us. It is a test of our faithfulness and it qualifies us to be a steward of God. To withhold the tithe is therefore robbing that which belongs to God. As such, Malachi 3:9 says that you are therefore “cursed with a curse.” A thief is cursed and can never see the blessings and the abundance of God.

Secondly, the vision reveals a “perjurer” in the house. A “perjurer” is someone who violates an oath by failing to do what has been promised under oath. He swears but after that conveniently changes his mind because it is going to cost him too much to keep the vow. In actual fact, that is no different from lying and God hates a lying tongue (Prov. 6:16-17). God loves a promise-keeper. “But he honors those who fear the LORD; he who swears to his own hurt and does not change” (Ps. 15:4). Even if it is going to hurt you, you would rather keep your promise than be a false swearer. Jephthah swore that if God gave Him the victory, he would give God whatever that came out of his house to greet him first. Little did he imagine that it would be his daughter. Jephthah loved his daughter but he loved the Lord even more. He faithfully kept his vow (Judg. 11:39). A group of people made a commitment to go back to the Holy Land with Zerubbabel. But when they came back to the land, they changed their mind because the conditions were too harsh. They started building their own houses while the house of the Lord remained in ruins. To God, that was committing the sin of a perjurer. Have you been a faithful tither? Have you fulfilled all the promises that you made to God? If you have not, then make a decision today to be a faithful tither and a promisekeeper. It may cost you something, but the reward far outweighs the sacrifice. Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

A Present Help In Need

I saw by night, and behold, a man riding on a red horse, and it stood among the myrtle trees in the hollow; and behind him were horses: red, sorrel, and white. Zechariah 1:8

Zechariah saw a vision in the night (Zech. 1:8). The night time symbolizes a very dark period in Israel’s history—the 70 years when they were in captivity. The myrtle trees standing “in the hollow” represent the people of God in a low and dark valley condition. But standing in the midst of this shady myrtle-grove was a man riding on a red horse. This man was known as “the Angel of the LORD” (1:11). The Angel of the LORD is the Son of God, the second Person of the Godhead, appearing in His pre-incarnate form. He also appeared to Joshua with His sword drawn in His hand as the Commander of the army of the LORD (Josh. 5:13-14).

This beautiful picture assures us that even when we find ourselves in a desperate and hopeless situation, Christ is always present in the midst of it. “For the LORD will not forsake His people, for His great name’s sake, because it has pleased the LORD to make you His people” (1 Sam. 12:22). The man in the vision was riding as a man of war, coming down from the heavens to help his people. It is the same LORD who came to the aid of Israel when they were in a dead end situation, with the Red Sea before them and the Egyptian armies behind them. Moses later wrote, “There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, who rides the heavens to help you, and in His excellency on the clouds” (Deut. 33:26). God is a Man of war and He will always fight for His people. And in the vision, the man rode on a red horse. Red is a fiery color, denoting that God is zealous for His Church, Zion (Zech. 1:14), and very angry at her enemies.

Zechariah also saw a troop of horses attending to the Angel of the LORD (Zech. 1:8), ready to receive and obey His orders. These are angels attending to the Lord, ready to be dispatched by Him for the service of His church and waiting to be sent into victorious battles for His people. When Elisha and his servant came face to face with the threat from the armies of Syria, angels were there to fight for them. “And his servant said to him, ‘Alas, my master! What shall we do?’ So he answered, ‘Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them’” (2 Kin. 6:15-16).

God is our present help in times of need. He will never leave us nor forsake us when we go through the valley of the shadow of death. Therefore, let us not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are against us! However, He is a jealous God and demands holiness from us. If we walk in obedience and righteousness before God, He will deliver us from the snare of the devil and give us victory all the time! “For the LORD your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you and give your enemies over to you; therefore your camp shall be holy, that He may see no unclean thing among you, and turn away from you” (Deut. 23:14).

A Good Finisher

“Yet now be strong, Zerubbabel,” says the LORD; “and be strong, Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; and be strong, all you people of the land,” says the LORD, “and work; for I am with you,” says the LORD of hosts. Haggai 2:4

The last three books of the Old Testament (Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi) are the so-called “Post-exilic Prophets” because each was addressed to the newly returned group of Jews from the Babylonian Exile. Under the leadership of Zerubbabel, the people began the task of rebuilding the temple (Ezra 1-6). But sixteen years after the process began, the people had yet to finish the project. Instead of completing the house of God, the people were busy building their own homes and careers. Into this sorry scene of misguided priorities stepped Haggai to exhort the people to put first things first. The prophet Haggai preached a series of fiery sermons designed to stir up the nation to do three things:

1) To renew their courage in the Lord. Haggai assessed the nation’s condition and summarized it in Haggai 1:7-11. And the people responded in repentance and obedience to the Lord. The prophet’s message was simple: God is with Israel. And that stirred up the hearts of the people to begin work again on the temple of God (1:13-14).

2) To renew holiness in their lives. The returning exiles allowed good things to replace God’s best in their lives. It didn’t happen overnight, but gradually, their time and energy were diverted into building something good (their own homes) instead of building God’s best (the temple). Haggai exhorted them to return and give to God their best sacrifices; to offer themselves wholeheartedly to the Lord and to put Him first in their lives.

3) To renew their faith in God. The prophet proclaimed God’s blessing on the people and told them to have faith in the Lord as they gave their lives and finances to build the temple (2:19).

Do you need to re-adjust your priorities so that you can stay focused on finishing what God has called you to do? If you do the same three things that Haggai instructed the nation to do, you will regain the passion and motivation again to finish the work that was started. Jesus exhorts us in Luke 14:28-30 to count the cost and be good finishers. Don’t let challenges and obstacles discourage or disillusion you. Pray and ask God today to stir up your spirit like He did with Zerubbabel and the people. Make a decision today to be a good finisher and fulfill God’s purpose for your life.

The Just Shall Live By Faith

“Behold the proud, his soul is not upright in him; but the just shall live by his faith.” Habakkuk 2:4

Here we see God making a contrast between the proud and the just. To God, the difference is seen clearly when they go through delays in life. In this case, it was the delay of God’s deliverance and the fulfillment of the vision He had given. The way we respond to delays reveal our true character. A proud person is impatient and demanding. Pride takes on many attitudes, and among them is the idea that we ought to have what is promised … immediately!

In all cases, pride is unreasonable. Who are we that God should become our servant and accede to our every whim and fancy? In contrast, a just man is truly humble. Being humble, he does not dare doubt his God, but yields completely to His Word. It is his faith that keeps him persevering under trials and leads him to triumph in Christ all the time. The phrase “the just shall live by faith” is quoted four times in the Bible:

1) Habakkuk 2:4. This verse shows that faith enables a man to live on in peace and humility, even when the promise has not yet come to its maturity. We are filled with joy as we put our hope (i.e. the confident expectation of good things to come) in God!

2) Romans 1:17. “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith.’” Only faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and what He has accomplished on the cross can give us a life with God.

3) Galatians 3:2. “This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?” No man is justified before God except by faith. The works of the law only reveals to us that we have all sinned and the wages of sin is death.

4) Hebrews 10:38. “Now the just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.” The life of faith is a life of perseverance. We need faith while waiting for heaven and the absence of faith causes us to draw back. Therefore, let us bear in mind that since we have begun in faith, let us continue in faith. Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” What can we do if we have no faith? In what other ways can we be accepted by God? Can we please Him without faith? The answer is No!

Let’s declare the hymn of faith in Habakkuk 3:17-18, “Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls—Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.”

Judgement Against Nineveh

You also will be drunk; You will be hidden; You also will seek refuge from the enemy. Nahum 3:11

By the time Nahum came on the scene, Nineveh, the capital of Assyria was even more wicked than it had been during the time of Jonah about 100 years earlier. The repentant spirit of the people and the revival that stemmed from Jonah’s visit was gone. Now a terror to the entire world, the fortress city of Nineveh seemed impenetrable. But God could no longer overlook the city’s horrible sins, and He sent Nahum to deliver the message of impending destruction. The entire Assyrian empire would be destroyed and the mighty city of Nineveh would be gutted by a raging fire. When Nahum proclaimed to Nineveh, “You will be hidden” (Nah. 3:11), he meant what he said! After Nineveh’s destruction in 612 B.C., the site lay obliterated and undiscovered for nearly 2,500 years! What happened to the city of Nineveh really teaches us that, “to whom much is given, from him much will be required” (Luke 12:48). Nineveh had been given the privilege of knowing the one true God. Under Jonah’s preaching, this great Gentile city had repented, and God had graciously relented from His judgment. But now, about 150 years later, Nahum proclaims the downfall of mighty Nineveh. The Assyrians had forgotten their revival and had returned to their habits of violence, idolatry, and arrogance.

As a result, Babylon would so destroy the city that not a trace of it would remain—a prophecy fulfilled in painful detail. An important spiritual truth can be found in Nineveh’s sorry end: the principle of communication to the next generation. Nineveh’s revival was short-lived, not because the people involved were insincere in their repentance, but because they failed to pass on their newfound knowledge of God to the succeeding generation. As the years rolled along, Jonah, the “prophet from the sea,” and the great God he represented, were largely forgotten. Revival dwindled and died, and in its place, all the old pagan practices returned.

Do you see the importance of teaching the truths of God to the next generation? Without that knowledge, they are likely to fail when confronted with the same kind of crisis that you, in God’s strength, have learned to conquer. Constantly share your faith with your brothers and sisters in the Lord and also with new believers in the church. Encourage them with spiritual truths that God has taught you. Remember, their knowledge of God will depend in part upon your faithfulness in passing on the truth.

Jesus says in Matthew 28:19-20, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” And Paul says to Timothy, “And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Tim. 2:2).

Appreciating God

“O My people, what have I done to you? And how have I wearied you? Testify against Me.” Micah 6:3

December is the month where we remember the greatest gift ever given to mankind. It is the gift of God’s only begotten Son for the salvation of the world. For many, it would also be a month where we express our love and appreciation toward people we love and cherish. However, the irony is that very often, Jesus, who is the reason for this season, is not the focus of our celebration. This was the case in Micah 6:3, where God’s people became weary of God.

However, I want you to look at the amazing response of the Almighty God and His great love for His people. God replied “O My people!” Is it not remarkable that such language should be used by the eternal God? It is the voice of earnestness and an appeal of love. Love injured, but living, pleading, striving and entreating. Divine love yearns for the reconciliation of the rebel.

Once upon a time, there were two boys living with their father. The younger boy had an itch to go to the big city. He said to his father, “I’ve had it with these chickens and cows … Father, you are, in one word, obsolete. You don’t know how to live. What I’m asking for is my inheritance now so I can go to the big city and really live it up!” So the father relented and gave him his inheritance and off he went to the big city.

The people who came back from the big city taunted the man as he waited for his son to return, saying, “Hey mister, you must be pretty proud of your little blue-eyed boy. He’s always drunk and spends half his time in bed with some women … he’s really living it up!” But the man waited and waited. And one night he saw his son coming home. He could tell by the walk, the stride and swing of the arms (signs that only love would notice) that it was his son. The father immediately ran out and embraced him, and in that moment, as tears ran down his father’s cheeks, the boy heard him say, “You’re home; that’s all I want.”

This is the familiar story of the prodigal son—and it’s the story many of us have personally experienced. We think that God is here to kill our joy and rob away our fun without realizing that God is for us and He really loves us. This Christmas, let’s appreciate our heavenly Father for who He is. “If we are faithless, He remains faithful” (2 Tim. 2:13). What a great God we serve!

Christ In Us, The Hope Of Glory

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.” Micah 5:2

Micah prophesied that Bethlehem would be the place of the Messiah’s nativity. The scribes knew that the Messiah was to be born there. When the wise men inquired about the birth of the new King, the scribes referred to Micah’s prophecy (Matt. 2:1-12). Hence, it was universally known among the Jews that Christ should come out of the town of Bethlehem where David was (John 7:42).

Bethlehem means the “House of Bread.” It was here that the Bread of Life, Jesus Christ, was born into the world. Bethlehem was also the city of David. It was therefore God’s divine providence that Jesus, a root of Jesse and an heir to the throne of David, would be born there. Bethlehem was a little town among the thousands of others found in Judah. Bethlehem had nothing in it that was worthy to receive the honor of being the birth place of the Messiah. But God always specializes in exalting the base things of this world for His glory. “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence” (1 Cor. 1:27-29).

It was Christ who brought honor to the place of His birth. Otherwise Bethlehem would never have been known. Many of us may think that we are little, insignificant, or even a reject of society. But when Christ comes into our lives, we become vessels of honor. A relationship with Jesus Christ transforms the little in this world into something great in the kingdom of God.

When Andrew brought a boy’s lunch of five loaves and two fish to Jesus, it seemed little in the sight of the multitude of hungry people. But a little does become much in the Master’s hand (John 6:1-14). That little lunch fed five thousand, not including women and children. Nobody would have noticed any poor widow with only two mites. But when she came with all she had in the presence of Jesus, what she did became a household story known even today (Mark 12:42-44).

We must always consider that without Christ, we are nothing. But in Him, we are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (Eph. 1:3). It is on His account that we become great in the kingdom of God. It is Christ in us, the hope of glory (Col. 1:27).

Repentance Unto Salvation

Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish? Jonah 3:9

The hope of salvation to which the Ninevites could reach was slim. They had no revelation of the character of the God of Israel. They knew nothing of an atoning sacrifice. They had received no invitation to seek the Lord; not even a command to repent. Jonah came only with a warning—a warning that Nineveh would be overthrown in 40 days (Jon. 3:4).

Yet based on that warning, the whole city repented before God and He relented from His wrath! Jonah was no loving, tender pastor, anxious to gather lost sheep. In fact, he disliked the ministry he was called to. He had no sympathy for the Ninevites and offered no prayer for them. He was even displeased that the city was spared from God’s impending judgment. Yet the people believed his word and they believed his God. Now hear what Jesus said in Matthew 12:41, “The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.”

Indeed our Lord Jesus is greater than Jonah. He is our good Shepherd, and with loving kindness and tender mercies, He calls us to repentance. Isaiah 42:3 says this of our Lord, “A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth.” Yet so many times we take the kindness and goodness of God for granted and are not quick to respond to Him in godly fear and reverence. Many times the Lord has corrected us, warned us and admonished us, and still we are unrepentant. Nineveh enjoyed no such privileges. Nineveh heard the prophet Jonah only once—it was an open-air sermon and the message was incredibly short! They had not received any hope or any assurance of God’s salvation; only a warning of His judgment.

In comparison, we are much better off. We are living in the new covenant where the atoning sacrifice for sin has been offered. The penalty for our sins has been paid. We are a new creation in Christ and we have become the temple of the Holy Spirit. It is no excuse, therefore, that we should receive the grace of God in vain (2 Cor. 6:1-2). Let us not put off till tomorrow our decision to obey the Lord. Let us examine ourselves and purify our hearts today. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

An Excellent Spirit

Tell it not in Gath, weep not at all in Beth Aphrah, roll yourself in the dust. Micah 1:10

The prophet Micah was calling the people of God to lament for the terrible judgment that would come as a result of Israel’s sin and wickedness. However, he told them not to tell it in Gath. Micah was lamenting the way David did when Saul and Jonathan were slain. “Tell it not in Gath, proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon—lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph” (2 Sam. 1:20).

Here lies the quality of an excellent spirit. Though it seemed that Israel well deserved all those terrible punishments because of her disobedience, the prophet wanted to conceal the fault of his own people and did not want the enemies of Israel to hear of it. Love teaches us to see the best in those we love and to say nothing of those things that are evil. Love suffers long and is kind; love thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things (1 Cor. 13:4-7).

In fact, God will not overlook those who rejoice over the calamity of others. “He who mocks the poor reproaches his Maker; He who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished” (Prov. 17:5). Micah was deeply concerned for the honor of God. He would not want the people of God to be put to shame or be laughed at by their enemies. A spiritually mature person is sensitive to how God feels and he is jealous for the name of God. As Micah thought about the hardship the people would suffer and the reproach on God’s name, he was totally heartbroken. “Therefore I will wail and howl, I will go stripped and naked; I will make a wailing like the jackals and a mourning like the ostriches, for her wounds are incurable. For it has come to Judah; it has come to the gate of My people—To Jerusalem” (Mic. 1:8-9).

David was also such a man. When Saul, his arch enemy, was slain, he did not celebrate or become an opportunist and claim the throne for himself. Instead, David lamented (2 Sam. 1:17-27). In his elegy for Saul and Jonathan, he only celebrated that which was praiseworthy in Saul. David was deeply concerned for the welfare of the people of God. It was the beauty of Israel that was slain and the honor of the people of God that was disgraced (1:19). The mighty had just fallen and so the strength of the people was weakened. Public losses are most important to the heart of men with public spirit. Be a person with an excellent spirit like Micah and King David. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep (Rom. 12:15). Be jealous for the name of the Lord and protect the honor of our God and His people.

The Ministry Of Intercession

Then I said: “O Lord GOD, cease, I pray! Oh, that Jacob may stand, for he is small!” Amos 7:5

In chapter 7, Amos saw two visions of judgment on Israel. In the first, he saw an army of locusts that was going to attack Israel. They would devour everything and the entire land would be consumed and destroyed (7:1-2). In the second, he saw a fire that would consume Israel (7:4-5). As such, Amos was so grieved in his heart that he cried out to the Lord, and God relented from His judgment (7:3, 6). This is how God works in our lives. Before God does anything, He will first reveal His secret to His servants, the prophets (3:7). Once the prophet sees the burden of the Lord, he must pray and intercede for the people.

Real prayer and intercession are built on the basis of divine revelation. We can only pray effectively when we understand what is in the heart of God. Real intercession is only born through a hearing-praying relationship with God. “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Rom. 8:26).

Amos stood before God like Abraham did when he prayed to God for Sodom and Gomorrah. God was going to destroy those two cities because of their gross sins and wickedness. Abraham interceded, pleading with God not to destroy those cities. Amos was doing exactly the same. He stood in the gap for Israel. As a result, God relented. God does not change His mind with regards to His blessings and covenant promises. But concerning His judgment, God may change His mind toward a generation who intercedes and prays to Him (2 Chr. 7:14). That is why the ministry of intercession is so important in the Church. God can spare a nation from the severity of His judgment when intercession is made. When the people of Nineveh heard Jonah’s prophecy on how God was going to judge the city in 40 days, they gathered to repent before the Lord in prayer and fasting (Jon. 3:5). As a result, God changed His mind. “Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it” (3:10).

When things go wrong in your life, in your business or in the nation, and you recognize that it is the dealing and judgment of God, remember that your sincere prayers of intercession and humility can bring God to relent from His judgment.

The Fruits Of Repentance

Seek good and not evil, that you may live; so the LORD God of hosts will be with you, as you have spoken. Amos 5:14

What does it mean to seek the Lord? To seek the Lord is to seek good and not evil. God is looking for the fruits of repentance in your life. Do you bring forth good works, good deeds, good attitudes, good character and a good lifestyle? The prophet Amos says in Amos 5:15 that if there is true repentance, God may turn from His wrath in judging the land. Remember what happened when Jonah went to preach in Nineveh? Nineveh was a metropolitan city of the ancient world that was so full of wickedness that God was going to destroy it. However, the people repented and sought the Lord in prayer and fasting. As a result, the Lord changed His mind and spared them.

So, Amos told the people to start seeking God—reject evil and do good. True repentance produces fruits in our lives. “Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance” (Matt. 3:8). What are the fruits of true repentance?

1) Conviction. When a man is not deeply convicted of sin, it is a very sure sign that he has not truly repented. Sooner or later, he will lapse back into his old lifestyle.

2) Contrition. There will be a deep godly sorrow and humiliation of heart because of sin. If there is no true contrition, a man will turn back to his old sin. Many sinners are just sorry for their sins; sorry that they have been continuing in sin but they repent with hearts that are not broken. However, the psalmist declares, “The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit” (Ps. 34:18).

3) Confession of sin. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

4) Conversion. There is no true conversion until conviction, contrition and confession have taken place. These are the marks of genuine repentance. Let there be a real change in your life toward the Lord. “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19). Genuine repentance is always the first step toward revival. Whenever God’s people repent, He will respond from heaven. Is heaven closed over your life? Could it be that there has not been genuine repentance? “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chr. 7:14).

Faithfulness

The words of Amos, who was among the sheepbreeders of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake. Amos 1:1

Amos was a sheep-breeder. He was neither a prophet nor the owner of a flock of sheep; he was just a shepherd. He was not a seasoned prophet like Elijah, a priest like Jeremiah, or a man of the court like Isaiah. Amos was just an ordinary, working man. Not only that, Amos had a second job tending the sycamore fruit (Amos 7:14). The sycamore is the poorest of fruits in Israel and only the very poor people eat it. Therefore, it is clear that Amos did not come from a very wealthy family. In fact, he had to work two jobs just to make a living. But the Word of the Lord came to this man and God raised him up to be a prophet against two military leaders. God can do the same for each one of us. We may be insignificant in the eyes of other people or even in our own eyes, but it is the heart that God is interested in. God can raise up someone who is considered a “nobody” in the eyes of people and make a great prophet out of him.

The Word of the Lord often comes when you are doing your duties. Amos was just faithfully doing what he should have been doing when the Word of the Lord came. Moses got his burning bush experience and his life’s mission when he was shepherding his flock in the desert. Gideon received his command to lead the Israelites to war when he was threshing the wheat. Elisha met his master Elijah when he was plowing the field. In the New Testament, we see Peter, James, John and Andrew receiving the call to follow Jesus when they were mending their fishing nets.

God is looking for faithful men to whom He can entrust His Word. Jesus said, “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much” (Luke 16:10). We may think that what we are doing is insignificant, but God is watching. “Do not despise this small beginning, for the eyes of the Lord rejoice to see the work begin” (Zech. 4:10, TLB). Deuteronomy 8:18 says that, it is God who gives you the power to get wealth. You need to take the power, abilities and talents that God has given to you to apply yourself and do your job well. So often, believers disqualify themselves from their destiny by not working hard. “Lazy men are soon poor; hard workers get rich” (Prov. 10:4, TLB).

You’ll never be used by God to do anything great unless you work hard at what you’re supposed to be doing. Let us make a decision today to be faithful and work hard at whatever is entrusted into our hands.

Purpose For Fasting

Consecrate a fast, call a sacred assembly; gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD. Joel 1:14

Joel made a proclamation, calling all the inhabitants to consecrate a fast. Fasting is often a neglected spiritual activity among believers. Yet it is being referred to all throughout the pages of the Bible. Fasting is voluntarily abstaining from food for spiritual purposes.

The primary purpose for fasting is self-humbling. God requires His people to humble themselves before Him. “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up” (James 4:10). Fasting is that scriptural means, ordained by God, by which we can humble ourselves before Him. David fasted to humble himself before God (Ps. 35:13). Ezra and the exiles fasted for God’s protection (Ezra 8:21-23). Jesus fasted 40 days before Satan tempted Him (Luke 4:1-2). He overcame the devil and returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee (4:14). The power of the Christian life is the Holy Spirit. “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Therefore, the key to successful Christian living is knowing how to release the power of the Holy Spirit and allowing Him to work through us without hindrances.

To remove any hindrances, we need to put away our old man, our carnality. Many believers never experience this power because of the flesh. “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish” (Gal. 5:17). If we are going to yield to the Holy Spirit, we must deal with the carnal nature. And fasting is God’s appointed way to bring the carnal nature into subjection.

As such, fasting is essential in our lives if we are to be victorious over Satan. Fasting changes the life of a believer. Paul says, “But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified” (1 Cor. 9:27). The most natural thing for us to do when we are hungry is to eat. So when we fast, we are disciplining ourselves and becoming masters over the carnal flesh. In this way, the power of the Holy Spirit can flow freely through us.

When the armies of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir surrounded Judah and Jerusalem, King Jehoshaphat did not trust in man-made weapons for deliverance. Instead he and the people in Judah humbled themselves before the Lord with fasting (2 Chr. 20:3). They renounced the natural and invoked the supernatural power of God. As a result, they had a mighty victory! Let us humble ourselves with fasting and believe God for His mighty hand of deliverance in our lives.

Let God Be Your king

I will be your King; where is any other, that he may save you in all your cities? And your judges to whom you said, ‘Give me a king and princes’? Hosea 13:10

During the time of the prophet Samuel, the children of Israel, in their discontentment, insisted on having a human king to represent them instead of God. Back then, their desire angered the Lord and Israel missed a great privilege of having God as their King. But in Hosea 13:10, God is declaring to Israel that He will be their King and He will do what their princes and judges could not. Beloved, let us not miss the same privilege the Lord has given to us. By declaring God as our King:

1) We acknowledge our own weakness and need for Him. When we are surrounded by our enemies, our Heavenly King has the power to subdue them and fight on our behalf. God wanted Israel to trust in Him and be dependant on Him. But they would not believe. They trusted in their own strength and confidence. They wanted to be like the other Gentile nations and felt that one from among them could represent them as their king. They would rather trust in a human king whom they could see. But the Bible says we are to “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7). It takes faith to acknowledge our own weakness and let God fight the battle for us.

2) We submit ourselves under His rulership. It is a great honor for us to have the Creator of the Universe as our King. He has the goodness to bless, the righteousness to rule and the power to bring peace and prosperity to His people. God is the King of all kings, the Lord of all lords. He has more wisdom than the wisdom of Solomon, and is ready to make His reign in your life a season of joy and happiness. Therefore, obey Him, submit yourselves to Him and He will make your way prosperous.

3) We will share in the glory of His kingship. The Bible says we are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own special people (1 Pet. 2:9). Therefore, we share in His power and dominion. We are made to rule and reign with Christ Jesus our Lord (Rev. 5:10). What an awesome privilege that God has given to us! When God has established the New Jerusalem, Revelation 22:5 says, “There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.” If we let God be our King, we will reign with Him forever and ever.

The Rain Of The Holy Spirit

Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the LORD, till He comes and rains righteousness on you. Hosea 10:12

Have you seen any farmer who would allow his finest fields to lie fallow year after year? Yet we often neglect the soil of our heart. In the parable of the sower, Jesus says the ground is the heart of man (Matt. 13:19). The Bible has much to say about a man’s heart: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (5:8). “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (12:34). “But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man” (15:18). “Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind’” (22:37). Neglecting the heart is to allow the ground to remain fallow. Besides being unprofitable, these inward fields would be full of weeds and exceedingly foul.

1) It is time to seek the Lord. It is time to get serious in your walk with God. “It is time” (Hosea 10:12) suggests the urgency of the matter at hand. Be urgent about your spiritual condition. You must not tolerate dry worship and powerless prayer. When was the last time you experienced the tangible presence of God? It is time to seek the Lord again and worship Him in spirit and truth! Only through genuine worship and prayer can the presence of God flow in our lives again.

2) Seek God till He comes and rains righteousness upon you. This means, pray until the breakthrough comes. Even if it takes hours, days or weeks, the Bible says don’t look at other directions; keep your eyes focused on the Lord and pray till He saturates your soul with His righteousness.

Waiting upon the Lord is worth it when you are praying for revival. The result of His outpouring far exceeds the pain of tarrying in His presence. When the Lord comes, He will come in abundant grace and mercy. Your ground will yield fruits and a renewed passion toward the Lord will be rekindled again in your heart.

Are you experiencing dryness or barrenness in your life? God is saying to you today, it is time to be revived. Come then, let’s seek the Lord this very hour! As the scripture says, “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jer. 29:13).

The Mercy Of God

And I will have mercy on her who had not obtained mercy; then I will say to those who were not My people, ‘You are My people!’ And they shall say, ‘You are my God!’ Hosea 2:23

This message must be very important as we see Paul the apostle quoting it again in Romans 9:25-26, “As He says also in Hosea: ‘I will call them My people, who were not My people, and her beloved, who was not beloved.’ And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ there they shall be called sons of the living God.”

Now, let’s consider the state of the people God was talking about:

1) They had not obtained mercy. Their just dessert was God’s judgment. There was nothing that could save them except the mercy of God.

2) They were not the people of God. They had no relationship with God and possessed no hope of heaven at all. We are this group of people that God is speaking about. As Peter said, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy” (1 Pet. 2:9-10).

If it were not for God’s mercy, we would not have been saved. Jesus says, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:44). So let us meditate and ponder on the mercy of God today. Be thankful and full of gratitude, for that is our rightful response to God’s goodness and mercy. So often, our heart gets side-tracked from an attitude of gratitude when things don’t happen our way. When we stop glorifying God or become unthankful, our thoughts become futile, and our foolish hearts become darkened (Rom. 1:21).

Remember it is the goodness of God that leads us to repentance (2:4), and when we are in sin, Christ died to provide a way of salvation for us (5:6-8). Thank God He declared, “I will call them My people, and they shall be called sons of the Living God.” Let us take the mercy of God and proclaim it to the ends of the earth so that others too can experience the joy of our salvation.

Rend Your Heart Before God

Come, and let us return to the LORD; for He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. Hosea 6:1

These may be taken either as the words of the prophet to the people, calling them to repentance, or as the words of the people to one another, encouraging each other to seek the Lord and to humble themselves before Him in the hope of finding mercy with Him. Israel was told to “return to the Lord” (Hos. 6:1). They were to go no more to the Assyrians or to King Jareb, but were commanded to return to the worship of the Lord and turn from idolatry. The first step to healing and restoration is always to return to the Lord. Many people want the benefits of healing and restoration but they never seriously want to come back to the Lord. Jesus says, “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.

And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” (Matt. 15:8-9). The prophet Joel exhorts us in Joel 2:13, “So rend your heart, and not your garments; return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm.” God is looking at our hearts. “Rending the heart” is that which God looks for and requires. “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart—These, O God, You will not despise” (Ps. 51:17). This psalm of David was written when Nathan the prophet went to him and confronted him of his adultery with Bathsheba.

When David realized that he was wrong, he did not care if he would lose his kingship; nor was he concerned about his reputation or the opinions of his subjects. David immediately cried out, “I have sinned against the LORD” (2 Sam. 12:13). He was grieved that he had hurt God and that his relationship with Him was now jeopardized. Because of his sincerity, David was later healed and restored.

King Saul was not like David. When the prophet Samuel confronted him about his unlawful sacrifice and his disobedience in not thoroughly destroying the Amalekites, Saul tried to defend himself (1 Sam. 13:11-12; 15:20-21). As a result, Saul lost his kingdom. Stop defending and justifying yourself when you are being confronted by the truth. Let the severity of sin grieve our souls, so that it cuts us to the heart to think of how we have dishonored God. As we rend our hearts in repentance, God will rend the heavens and come down to us with mercy, healing and restoration.