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  • Rest Day

    Rest Day

    Rest Day

    Today is a Rest Day. There is no new Bible reading to do. Today, the goal is simple: rest in the presence of God. Maybe you need to use today to get caught up on the reading plan if you’re behind, maybe you want to journal what you’re learning so you don’t forget what God is teaching you, or maybe you want to spend time in concentrated prayer–do that. Above all, just spend time in God’s presence.

    Reflect on This

    As we read through this stretch of minor prophets, what themes are you noticing? Think about that as you answer the following questions:

    1. What surprised you about the scripture you read this week?

    2. What have you learned about the nature of God through the scripture you read this week?

    3. What have you learned about the nature of man through the scripture you read this week?

    4. What are the Gospel implications for us because of the scripture you read this week?

    Worship with Us

    Join us at 9a or 11a in person or online at harriscreek.org/live. We’d love to worship with you! We also desire to connect everyone with a local church body where they can thrive in community and use their gifts to serve. If you’re following our Bible Reading Plan from outside of Waco and are eager to get connected with a great local church, email us at [email protected].

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  • Lamentations 4

    Lamentations 4

    Read Lamentations 4

    4 How the gold has lost its luster,
        the fine gold become dull!
    The sacred gems are scattered
        at every street corner.

    2 How the precious children of Zion,
        once worth their weight in gold,
    are now considered as pots of clay,
        the work of a potter’s hands!

    3 Even jackals offer their breasts
        to nurse their young,
    but my people have become heartless
        like ostriches in the desert.

    4 Because of thirst the infant’s tongue
        sticks to the roof of its mouth;
    the children beg for bread,
        but no one gives it to them.

    5 Those who once ate delicacies
        are destitute in the streets.
    Those brought up in royal purple
        now lie on ash heaps.

    6 The punishment of my people
        is greater than that of Sodom,
    which was overthrown in a moment
        without a hand turned to help her.

    7 Their princes were brighter than snow
        and whiter than milk,
    their bodies more ruddy than rubies,
        their appearance like lapis lazuli.

    8 But now they are blacker than soot;
        they are not recognized in the streets.
    Their skin has shriveled on their bones;
        it has become as dry as a stick.

    9 Those killed by the sword are better off
        than those who die of famine;
    racked with hunger, they waste away
        for lack of food from the field.

    10 With their own hands compassionate women
        have cooked their own children,
    who became their food
        when my people were destroyed.

    11 The Lord has given full vent to his wrath;
        he has poured out his fierce anger.
    He kindled a fire in Zion
        that consumed her foundations.

    12 The kings of the earth did not believe,
        nor did any of the peoples of the world,
    that enemies and foes could enter
        the gates of Jerusalem.

    13 But it happened because of the sins of her prophets
        and the iniquities of her priests,
    who shed within her
        the blood of the righteous.

    14 Now they grope through the streets
        as if they were blind.
    They are so defiled with blood
        that no one dares to touch their garments.

    15 “Go away! You are unclean!” people cry to them.
        “Away! Away! Don’t touch us!”
    When they flee and wander about,
        people among the nations say,
        “They can stay here no longer.”

    16 The Lord himself has scattered them;
        he no longer watches over them.
    The priests are shown no honor,
        the elders no favor.

    17 Moreover, our eyes failed,
        looking in vain for help;
    from our towers we watched
        for a nation that could not save us.

    18 People stalked us at every step,
        so we could not walk in our streets.
    Our end was near, our days were numbered,
        for our end had come.

    19 Our pursuers were swifter
        than eagles in the sky;
    they chased us over the mountains
        and lay in wait for us in the desert.

    20 The Lord’s anointed, our very life breath,
        was caught in their traps.
    We thought that under his shadow
        we would live among the nations.

    21 Rejoice and be glad, Daughter Edom,
        you who live in the land of Uz.
    But to you also the cup will be passed;
        you will be drunk and stripped naked.

    22 Your punishment will end, Daughter Zion;
        he will not prolong your exile.
    But he will punish your sin, Daughter Edom,
        and expose your wickedness.

    Go Deeper

    Lamentations chapter four is a continued poetic reflection over the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem and Jerusalem’s soon after exile. It is rich with contrasts of Jerusalem from when it was a place that sought to honor God before the siege, versus the sins that brought God’s judgment on Jerusalem in the form of the Babylonian siege. Although the people of God once lived out their identity of being precious and valuable, they allowed for sin to cover them and overtake their identity as God’s chosen. As a consequence of their evil there was immense cruelty, hunger, and judgment. Throughout this chapter it is evident that the high were brought low on account of their sins, and that all were judged because all had committed evil.

    Verse 13 is pivotal to understanding the reason behind the Lord’s judgment. God is slow to anger (Psalm 103:8), and when He does unveil His wrath it is not spontaneous and unintentional but a divine judgment on evil. This chapter explained that the unrepented sins of the people of Jerusalem were the cause of His judgment, and the author specifically noted the sins of the priests and prophets. God is Just, and does not let sin go unpunished then or now. He does not sit back passively and ignore evil being done, but addresses it and judges it impartially (Romans 2:11). 

    We often desire for the Lord to punish evil, but request that He stops punishing sin when it comes to us. That would not be completely just though, so He promises to punish all evil (which includes ours). While in one hand we hold God’s perfect justice, in the other we hold God’s perfect love. God is love (1 John 4:16), and seeks to be in community with His children then and now. He was faithful to His covenant in the Old Testament which promised to love Israel and bring Jesus as Savior, and offers a covenant to all that our sins can be paid for through Jesus’ perfect life, sacrificial death, and glorious resurrection. God’s sending of His only son Jesus is the ultimate act of His love (John 3:16). 

    The Holy Spirit preserved this book to teach human’s capacity for evil and God’s just judgment. It also teaches human’s ability to lament over their sin, confess their sins, and find God’s loving forgiveness (1 John 1:9). God is seen as both justice and love, and neither could be true without the other. The Lord’s judgment of punishing evil is complete through His love of sending Jesus to be punished in place of those who believe!

    Questions

    1. What is your initial reaction to seeing that the Lord is a God of justice and One who judges sin?
    2. How do you understand that God is both justice and love? Is there one that you lean towards more than the other?
    3. How does God’s justice help you to understand His love more?

     

    Did You Know?

    Lamentations is another example of an acrostic poem. Read this article from GotQuestions.org about acrostic poems and their uses throughout scripture.

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  • Lamentations 3

    Lamentations 3

    Read Lamentations 3

    3 I am the man who has seen affliction
        by the rod of the Lord’s wrath.
    2 He has driven me away and made me walk
        in darkness rather than light;
    3 indeed, he has turned his hand against me
        again and again, all day long.

    4 He has made my skin and my flesh grow old
        and has broken my bones.
    5 He has besieged me and surrounded me
        with bitterness and hardship.
    6 He has made me dwell in darkness
        like those long dead.

    7 He has walled me in so I cannot escape;
        he has weighed me down with chains.
    8 Even when I call out or cry for help,
        he shuts out my prayer.
    9 He has barred my way with blocks of stone;
        he has made my paths crooked.

    10 Like a bear lying in wait,
        like a lion in hiding,
    11 he dragged me from the path and mangled me
        and left me without help.
    12 He drew his bow
        and made me the target for his arrows.

    13 He pierced my heart
        with arrows from his quiver.
    14 I became the laughingstock of all my people;
        they mock me in song all day long.
    15 He has filled me with bitter herbs
        and given me gall to drink.

    16 He has broken my teeth with gravel;
        he has trampled me in the dust.
    17 I have been deprived of peace;
        I have forgotten what prosperity is.
    18 So I say, “My splendor is gone
        and all that I had hoped from the Lord.”

    19 I remember my affliction and my wandering,
        the bitterness and the gall.
    20 I well remember them,
        and my soul is downcast within me.
    21 Yet this I call to mind
        and therefore I have hope:

    22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
        for his compassions never fail.
    23 They are new every morning;
        great is your faithfulness.
    24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
        therefore I will wait for him.”

    25 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
        to the one who seeks him;
    26 it is good to wait quietly
        for the salvation of the Lord.
    27 It is good for a man to bear the yoke
        while he is young.

    28 Let him sit alone in silence,
        for the Lord has laid it on him.
    29 Let him bury his face in the dust—
        there may yet be hope.
    30 Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him,
        and let him be filled with disgrace.

    31 For no one is cast off
        by the Lord forever.
    32 Though he brings grief, he will show compassion,
        so great is his unfailing love.
    33 For he does not willingly bring affliction
        or grief to anyone.

    34 To crush underfoot
        all prisoners in the land,
    35 to deny people their rights
        before the Most High,
    36 to deprive them of justice—
        would not the Lord see such things?

    37 Who can speak and have it happen
        if the Lord has not decreed it?
    38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
        that both calamities and good things come?
    39 Why should the living complain
        when punished for their sins?

    40 Let us examine our ways and test them,
        and let us return to the Lord.
    41 Let us lift up our hearts and our hands
        to God in heaven, and say:
    42 “We have sinned and rebelled
        and you have not forgiven.

    43 “You have covered yourself with anger and pursued us;
        you have slain without pity.
    44 You have covered yourself with a cloud
        so that no prayer can get through.
    45 You have made us scum and refuse
        among the nations.

    46 “All our enemies have opened their mouths
        wide against us.
    47 We have suffered terror and pitfalls,
        ruin and destruction.”
    48 Streams of tears flow from my eyes
        because my people are destroyed.

    49 My eyes will flow unceasingly,
        without relief,
    50 until the Lord looks down
        from heaven and sees.
    51 What I see brings grief to my soul
        because of all the women of my city.

    52 Those who were my enemies without cause
        hunted me like a bird.
    53 They tried to end my life in a pit
        and threw stones at me;
    54 the waters closed over my head,
        and I thought I was about to perish.

    55 I called on your name, Lord,
        from the depths of the pit.
    56 You heard my plea: “Do not close your ears
        to my cry for relief.”
    57 You came near when I called you,
        and you said, “Do not fear.”

    58 You, Lord, took up my case;
        you redeemed my life.
    59 Lord, you have seen the wrong done to me.
        Uphold my cause!
    60 You have seen the depth of their vengeance,
        all their plots against me.

    61 Lord, you have heard their insults,
        all their plots against me—
    62 what my enemies whisper and mutter
        against me all day long.
    63 Look at them! Sitting or standing,
        they mock me in their songs.

    64 Pay them back what they deserve, Lord,
        for what their hands have done.
    65 Put a veil over their hearts,
        and may your curse be on them!
    66 Pursue them in anger and destroy them
        from under the heavens of the Lord.

    Go Deeper

    Things aren’t going well for Jeremiah. As Jeremiah surveys Jerusalem in the wake of Babylon’s conquest, he personalizes the suffering of the city by applying it to his own life. What God has done to Israel, Jeremiah considers done to himself, too. At the crux of these verses are questions we still struggle to answer today. How do we find the strength to overcome life’s most difficult moments? Where do we turn when hope seems like nothing more than wishful thinking?

    While Jeremiah has spent the first two and a half chapters decrying the state of a war-torn and joyless land, he eventually finds his anchor in the storm. The shift comes in verses 21-23. “Yet this I keep in mind: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

    Let’s think more about these verses as we grow in the Lord today. Feel free to read through each phrase slowly and carefully, asking God to share his heart with you as you read.

      • Yet this I keep in mind: God wants us to keep in mind who he is and what he is doing all the time. It is easy to let our minds be filled with ideas from other people or ourselves.
    • Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed: His love will save us from evil. No matter how difficult our scenario appears to be, we will not be overtaken. 
    • His compassions never fail: He is with us and cares for us.
    • They are new every morning: God’s love and compassion are consistent. 
    • Great is your faithfulness: God’s faithfulness is stronger than our own or others around us. 

    Jeremiah’s words give us hope today. In the midst of suffering—whether it is communal or personal—we need an anchor to hold on to when the storm seems to be pulling our boat out to sea. God is our anchor. We should cling to him. Let us keep His words in our mind, holding on to hope, filled with his love and admiring his faithfulness.

    Questions

    1. How would you describe God’s character throughout this chapter?
    2. The ‘anchor’ of Jeremiah’s hope appears in verse 21. How is that anchor formed (v. 25-29)? Why is it important to know your faith before hardship comes?
    3. In the midst of suffering, what is something (a verse, a memory, a prayer) that keeps you going?

    Did You Know?

    Chapter 3 differs from the others through a literary device that Jeremiah uses called an acrostic poem. Each stanza begins with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet, and the verses within each stanza begin with the same letter. Even within the suffering, Jeremiah is reaching to bring beauty back into the city through his own poetry.

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  • Lamentations 2

    Lamentations 2

    Read Lamentations 2

    2 How the Lord has covered Daughter Zion
        with the cloud of his anger!
    He has hurled down the splendor of Israel
        from heaven to earth;
    he has not remembered his footstool
        in the day of his anger.

    2 Without pity the Lord has swallowed up
        all the dwellings of Jacob;
    in his wrath he has torn down
        the strongholds of Daughter Judah.
    He has brought her kingdom and its princes
        down to the ground in dishonor.

    3 In fierce anger he has cut off
        every horn of Israel.
    He has withdrawn his right hand
        at the approach of the enemy.
    He has burned in Jacob like a flaming fire
        that consumes everything around it.

    4 Like an enemy he has strung his bow;
        his right hand is ready.
    Like a foe he has slain
        all who were pleasing to the eye;
    he has poured out his wrath like fire
        on the tent of Daughter Zion.

    5 The Lord is like an enemy;
        he has swallowed up Israel.
    He has swallowed up all her palaces
        and destroyed her strongholds.
    He has multiplied mourning and lamentation
        for Daughter Judah.

    6 He has laid waste his dwelling like a garden;
        he has destroyed his place of meeting.
    The Lord has made Zion forget
        her appointed festivals and her Sabbaths;
    in his fierce anger he has spurned
        both king and priest.

    7 The Lord has rejected his altar
        and abandoned his sanctuary.
    He has given the walls of her palaces
        into the hands of the enemy;
    they have raised a shout in the house of the Lord
        as on the day of an appointed festival.

    8 The Lord determined to tear down
        the wall around Daughter Zion.
    He stretched out a measuring line
        and did not withhold his hand from destroying.
    He made ramparts and walls lament;
        together they wasted away.

    9 Her gates have sunk into the ground;
        their bars he has broken and destroyed.
    Her king and her princes are exiled among the nations,
        the law is no more,
    and her prophets no longer find
        visions from the Lord.

    10 The elders of Daughter Zion
        sit on the ground in silence;
    they have sprinkled dust on their heads
        and put on sackcloth.
    The young women of Jerusalem
        have bowed their heads to the ground.

    11 My eyes fail from weeping,
        I am in torment within;
    my heart is poured out on the ground
        because my people are destroyed,
    because children and infants faint
        in the streets of the city.

    12 They say to their mothers,
        “Where is bread and wine?”
    as they faint like the wounded
        in the streets of the city,
    as their lives ebb away
        in their mothers’ arms.

    13 What can I say for you?
        With what can I compare you,
        Daughter Jerusalem?
    To what can I liken you,
        that I may comfort you,
        Virgin Daughter Zion?
    Your wound is as deep as the sea.
        Who can heal you?

    14 The visions of your prophets
        were false and worthless;
    they did not expose your sin
        to ward off your captivity.
    The prophecies they gave you
        were false and misleading.

    15 All who pass your way
        clap their hands at you;
    they scoff and shake their heads
        at Daughter Jerusalem:
    “Is this the city that was called
        the perfection of beauty,
        the joy of the whole earth?”

    16 All your enemies open their mouths
        wide against you;
    they scoff and gnash their teeth
        and say, “We have swallowed her up.
    This is the day we have waited for;
        we have lived to see it.”

    17 The Lord has done what he planned;
        he has fulfilled his word,
        which he decreed long ago.
    He has overthrown you without pity,
        he has let the enemy gloat over you,
        he has exalted the horn of your foes.

    18 The hearts of the people
        cry out to the Lord.
    You walls of Daughter Zion,
        let your tears flow like a river
        day and night;
    give yourself no relief,
        your eyes no rest.

    19 Arise, cry out in the night,
        as the watches of the night begin;
    pour out your heart like water
        in the presence of the Lord.
    Lift up your hands to him
        for the lives of your children,
    who faint from hunger
        at every street corner.

    20 “Look, Lord, and consider:
        Whom have you ever treated like this?
    Should women eat their offspring,
        the children they have cared for?
    Should priest and prophet be killed
        in the sanctuary of the Lord?

    21 “Young and old lie together
        in the dust of the streets;
    my young men and young women
        have fallen by the sword.
    You have slain them in the day of your anger;
        you have slaughtered them without pity.

    22 “As you summon to a feast day,
        so you summoned against me terrors on every side.
    In the day of the Lord’s anger
        no one escaped or survived;
    those I cared for and reared
        my enemy has destroyed.”

    Go Deeper

    The text here is a continuation of Jeremiah’s expression of raw emotion. It is full of Jeremiah expressing the anger of God that is being expressed towards the city of Jerusalem. God has prepared His bow like an enemy. It doesn’t feel good to be on the other side of God’s anger, particularly when it is because of our unrepentant sin. God’s wrath is powerful and strong, but how do we grapple with this? How can we believe that our God, the King of Kings, is also recognized as a God of Anger in this passage?

    This isn’t a matter of Old Testament God being angry and New Testament Jesus making it better—He is the same God. In seeing multiple sides of God, we are able to see the fullness of God. He is not partial in anything. Knowing of God’s anger over Jerusalem makes the fact that He empathizes with our pain so much greater. When we hurt and we say to others, “He hurts with us,” it feels a lot deeper. While in this passage we learn about God’s wrath for Jerusalem, we also learn His heart hurts deeply when we sin and turn from Him. He wants us near Him.

    On the other hand, we can empathize with Jeremiah as he expresses his lack of knowledge in comforting the people. Jeremiah talks about how Jerusalem is without comfort, and he mentions how he doesn’t know how to comfort them. There are so many times where comforting someone else is hard because we don’t understand what this person is going through. In these moments, we can listen rather than understand. By the end of the chapter, Israel gets to respond. Jeremiah has to be willing to listen, just as we have to listen to others in their pain.

    Questions

    1. How do you feel comforted by God?
    2. What is an attribute of God that you love that comes in fullness? What about an attribute that is hard for you to understand that comes in fullness?
    3. Is there a friend or family member that you can call or text and remind them that you are there to listen to their hurt? Pray for them, then call them.  

    Did You Know?

    In the beginning of the chapter, God “covers” the people like a cloud. It is interesting that God shows up in a manner of what the Israelites know, but with a different attribute. In the wandering of the Israelites, God would lead by cloud and now He is covering by cloud. God is showing different sides of Himself, yet is consistent in His state, so the Israelites can know it is Him.

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  • Lamentations 1

    Lamentations 1

    Lamentations Preview

    Jeremiah, also known as the weeping prophet, is the likely author of Lamentations. He wrote this sorrowful compilation of poems after Jerusalem fell into the hands of the Babylonians (likely around 585 B.C.). Jeremiah served as a prophet to the people of Israel, boldly warning them about the destruction that was to come at the hands of the Babylonians. Jeremiah was beaten, imprisoned, ridiculed, and almost killed multiple times for his efforts.

    Why was Jeremiah lamenting? The answer was really quite simple: Israel was reaping the consequences of violating the Mosaic Covenant that God made with His people. What unfolds as the Israelites lose their sacred city and fall into Babylonian captivity is really Deuteronomy 28 coming full circle. Had Israel kept up their end of the covenant, they would have been blessed. Because they wandered far from it, they were cursed instead. Their downfall was ultimately their own doing. As Jeremiah looked around and saw the evil, pain, and suffering all around him, it is easy to draw comparisons to the book of Job. However, unlike Job (which deals with unexplained suffering), this situation was not just predictable, but predicted by Jeremiah himself. 

    Since Jeremiah had tried to warn them, all he was left to do was lament and, over a stretch of five different poems we’ll see him do just that. As we read these five chapters, we’ll see the heaviness and weight of disobedience, as well as glimmers of hope along the way. This book (in chapter 3) includes one of the most quoted, most referred to passages in all of scripture that reminds us of God’s new mercies for us each and every day. While we should (and must) lament the weight of our own sin and disobedience, let us also cling to the hope we have in Jesus as well.

    Interested in a more comprehensive explanation of Lamentations? Click here to watch the Bible Project’s overview of the book!

    Read Lamentations 1

    1How deserted lies the city,
        once so full of people!
    How like a widow is she,
        who once was great among the nations!
    She who was queen among the provinces
        has now become a slave.

    2 Bitterly she weeps at night,
        tears are on her cheeks.
    Among all her lovers
        there is no one to comfort her.
    All her friends have betrayed her;
        they have become her enemies.

    3 After affliction and harsh labor,
        Judah has gone into exile.
    She dwells among the nations;
        she finds no resting place.
    All who pursue her have overtaken her
        in the midst of her distress.

    4 The roads to Zion mourn,
        for no one comes to her appointed festivals.
    All her gateways are desolate,
        her priests groan,
    her young women grieve,
        and she is in bitter anguish.

    5 Her foes have become her masters;
        her enemies are at ease.
    The Lord has brought her grief
        because of her many sins.
    Her children have gone into exile,
        captive before the foe.

    6 All the splendor has departed
        from Daughter Zion.
    Her princes are like deer
        that find no pasture;
    in weakness they have fled
        before the pursuer.

    7 In the days of her affliction and wandering
        Jerusalem remembers all the treasures
        that were hers in days of old.
    When her people fell into enemy hands,
        there was no one to help her.
    Her enemies looked at her
        and laughed at her destruction.

    8 Jerusalem has sinned greatly
        and so has become unclean.
    All who honored her despise her,
        for they have all seen her naked;
    she herself groans
        and turns away.

    9 Her filthiness clung to her skirts;
        she did not consider her future.
    Her fall was astounding;
        there was none to comfort her.
    “Look, Lord, on my affliction,
        for the enemy has triumphed.”

    10 The enemy laid hands
        on all her treasures;
    she saw pagan nations
        enter her sanctuary—
    those you had forbidden
        to enter your assembly.

    11 All her people groan
        as they search for bread;
    they barter their treasures for food
        to keep themselves alive.
    “Look, Lord, and consider,
        for I am despised.”

    12 “Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by?
        Look around and see.
    Is any suffering like my suffering
        that was inflicted on me,
    that the Lord brought on me
        in the day of his fierce anger?

    13 “From on high he sent fire,
        sent it down into my bones.
    He spread a net for my feet
        and turned me back.
    He made me desolate,
        faint all the day long.

    14 “My sins have been bound into a yoke;
        by his hands they were woven together.
    They have been hung on my neck,
        and the Lord has sapped my strength.
    He has given me into the hands
        of those I cannot withstand.

    15 “The Lord has rejected
        all the warriors in my midst;
    he has summoned an army against me
        to crush my young men.
    In his winepress the Lord has trampled
        Virgin Daughter Judah.

    16 “This is why I weep
        and my eyes overflow with tears.
    No one is near to comfort me,
        no one to restore my spirit.
    My children are destitute
        because the enemy has prevailed.”

    17 Zion stretches out her hands,
        but there is no one to comfort her.
    The Lord has decreed for Jacob
        that his neighbors become his foes;
    Jerusalem has become
        an unclean thing among them.

    18 “The Lord is righteous,
        yet I rebelled against his command.
    Listen, all you peoples;
        look on my suffering.
    My young men and young women
        have gone into exile.

    19 “I called to my allies
        but they betrayed me.
    My priests and my elders
        perished in the city
    while they searched for food
        to keep themselves alive.

    20 “See, Lord, how distressed I am!
        I am in torment within,
    and in my heart I am disturbed,
        for I have been most rebellious.
    Outside, the sword bereaves;
        inside, there is only death.

    21 “People have heard my groaning,
        but there is no one to comfort me.
    All my enemies have heard of my distress;
        they rejoice at what you have done.
    May you bring the day you have announced
        so they may become like me.

    22 “Let all their wickedness come before you;
        deal with them
    as you have dealt with me
        because of all my sins.
    My groans are many
        and my heart is faint.”

    Go Deeper

    Lamentations 1 portrays the sorrow and anguish of a man defeated. The common assumption is that Jeremiah was the likely author of this book. He surrendered his life to speak out against a regime that hated him and a people that shunned him. Yet as he grieves and laments, something is missing. 

    As we read through the text, the question becomes obvious: Where is the bitterness, the righteous indignation, the self-satisfied appearance of justice that seems to mark so much of our own experience? In today’s culture, which seems to be veering wildly into the consequences of ungodliness, what marks many believers is anger and disgust. What fills many social media posts are words of gleeful judgment and delight when our cultural foes meet their comeuppance. 

    Too often, our hope for this godless culture is its destruction rather than its repentance. As Christians, we are in the position of Jeremiah, a voice of God’s love towards an obstinate people. And yet, how often have we replaced godly lament for self-righteous angst? How much does our heart mirror Jeremiah’s distraught sorrow? How much do we delight instead of distress when we are proven right? Jeremiah was daily driven deeper into prayer for, not against, his countrymen. 

    He writes in Lamentations 1:9, “Look, Lord, on my affliction, for the enemy has triumphed.” Jeremiah suffers together with the people of Jerusalem, crying out to God on their behalf. His heart was always and forever for their repentance and redemption. Are we able to say the same?

    Questions

    1. When you think about engaging our culture that has turned it back on God, are you marked primarily by anger or sorrow? 
    2. How often do you pray for the repentance of the godless rather than their demise? 
    3. How can we as modern-day believers uphold God‘s truth and justice and yet not let our hearts become hardened against mercy? Are you willing to hold space to lament with those who suffer?

    By the Way

    Read Jesus’s own lament in Matthew 23:37. Look for similarities with Jeremiah in his heart towards those who rejected him.

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  • Micah 7

    Micah 7

    Read micah 7

    Israel’s Misery

    7 What misery is mine!
    I am like one who gathers summer fruit
        at the gleaning of the vineyard;
    there is no cluster of grapes to eat,
        none of the early figs that I crave.
    2 The faithful have been swept from the land;
        not one upright person remains.
    Everyone lies in wait to shed blood;
        they hunt each other with nets.
    3 Both hands are skilled in doing evil;
        the ruler demands gifts,
    the judge accepts bribes,
        the powerful dictate what they desire—
        they all conspire together.
    4 The best of them is like a brier,
        the most upright worse than a thorn hedge.
    The day God visits you has come,
        the day your watchmen sound the alarm.
        Now is the time of your confusion.
    5 Do not trust a neighbor;
        put no confidence in a friend.
    Even with the woman who lies in your embrace
        guard the words of your lips.
    6 For a son dishonors his father,
        a daughter rises up against her mother,
    a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—
        a man’s enemies are the members of his own household.

    7 But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord,
        I wait for God my Savior;
        my God will hear me.

    Israel Will Rise

    8 Do not gloat over me, my enemy!
        Though I have fallen, I will rise.
    Though I sit in darkness,
        the Lord will be my light.
    9 Because I have sinned against him,
        I will bear the Lord’s wrath,
    until he pleads my case
        and upholds my cause.
    He will bring me out into the light;
        I will see his righteousness.
    10 Then my enemy will see it
        and will be covered with shame,
    she who said to me,
        “Where is the Lord your God?”
    My eyes will see her downfall;
        even now she will be trampled underfoot
        like mire in the streets.

    11 The day for building your walls will come,
        the day for extending your boundaries.
    12 In that day people will come to you
        from Assyria and the cities of Egypt,
    even from Egypt to the Euphrates
        and from sea to sea
        and from mountain to mountain.
    13 The earth will become desolate because of its inhabitants,
        as the result of their deeds.

    Prayer and Praise

    14 Shepherd your people with your staff,
        the flock of your inheritance,
    which lives by itself in a forest,
        in fertile pasturelands.
    Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead
        as in days long ago.

    15 “As in the days when you came out of Egypt,
        I will show them my wonders.”

    16 Nations will see and be ashamed,
        deprived of all their power.
    They will put their hands over their mouths
        and their ears will become deaf.
    17 They will lick dust like a snake,
        like creatures that crawl on the ground.
    They will come trembling out of their dens;
        they will turn in fear to the Lord our God
        and will be afraid of you.
    18 Who is a God like you,
        who pardons sin and forgives the transgression
        of the remnant of his inheritance?
    You do not stay angry forever
        but delight to show mercy.
    19 You will again have compassion on us;
        you will tread our sins underfoot
        and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.
    20 You will be faithful to Jacob,
        and show love to Abraham,
    as you pledged on oath to our ancestors
        in days long ago.

    Go Deeper

    In this last chapter of Micah, the author in verse 18 poses the question, “Who is God like you?” Throughout this book, we see God using Micah to declare judgment on the people of Israel. God calls out the sinfulness of the entire nation, the leaders of land, and the false prophets. They are scattered because of the depravity that has infected their whole land.

    But they are not without hope. Their sinfulness gives God an opportunity to reveal His character to them. God’s love toward His people is described using the Hebrew word hesed (v. 18, 20). Despite their unfaithfulness, God is revealed as One who remains constant in His mercy, goodness, and kindness. Although they have been scattered, God tells Israel that He will restore their relationship with Him. Israel has failed to remain faithful to God, but God’s faithfulness is not dependent on their character; God’s faithfulness is dependent on His own character. In the same way, God’s love toward us is not dependent on our faithfulness to Him.

    Verse 9 sums up the story of the Israelites: “I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him, until he pleads my cause and executes judgment for me. He will bring me out to the light; I shall look upon his vindication.” This is just as much our story as it is the story of Israel. Understanding the fullness of God’s love begins with understanding the depth of our own sinfulness. God’s character begins to come into light when we have a right understanding of our need for Him. We were once far from God, separated from Him by choosing ourselves and our own desires. But God pledged an oath to His people long ago, and He is faithful to forgive (v. 20). Who is God like Him, a God that forgives people so prone to turning away? Why does God continue to forgive His people? Why has God forgiven us? It is because of His hesed love towards us. God delights in showing us His unwavering, steadfast, covenant-keeping love.

    Who is God like our God? “Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.” (v. 18) There is no other God like Him.

    Questions

    1. How have you seen God’s faithfulness displayed in your life in a time when you were unfaithful?
    2. How does the word hesed help you better understand God’s heart towards you?
    3. How does understanding God’s steadfast love toward you change the way you approach Him?

    Keep Digging

    Read this article on the Hebrew word hesed to gain a better understanding of God’s love toward us.

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  • Micah 6

    Micah 6

    Read micah 6

    The Lord’s Case Against Israel

    6 Listen to what the Lord says:

    “Stand up, plead my case before the mountains;
        let the hills hear what you have to say.

    2 “Hear, you mountains, the Lord’s accusation;
        listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth.
    For the Lord has a case against his people;
        he is lodging a charge against Israel.

    3 “My people, what have I done to you?
        How have I burdened you? Answer me.
    4 I brought you up out of Egypt
        and redeemed you from the land of slavery.
    I sent Moses to lead you,
        also Aaron and Miriam.
    5 My people, remember
        what Balak king of Moab plotted
        and what Balaam son of Beor answered.
    Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal,
        that you may know the righteous acts of the Lord.”

    6 With what shall I come before the Lord
        and bow down before the exalted God?
    Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
        with calves a year old?
    7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
        with ten thousand rivers of olive oil?
    Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,
        the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
    8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
        And what does the Lord require of you?
    To act justly and to love mercy
        and to walk humbly“ with your God.

    Israel’s Guilt and Punishment

    9 Listen! The Lord is calling to the city—
        and to fear your name is wisdom—
        “Heed the rod and the One who appointed it.
    10 Am I still to forget your ill-gotten treasures, you wicked house,
        and the short ephah, which is accursed?
    11 Shall I acquit someone with dishonest scales,
        with a bag of false weights?
    12 Your rich people are violent;
        your inhabitants are liars
        and their tongues speak deceitfully.
    13 Therefore, I have begun to destroy you,
        to ruin you because of your sins.
    14 You will eat but not be satisfied;
        your stomach will still be empty.
    You will store up but save nothing,
        because what you save I will give to the sword.
    15 You will plant but not harvest;
        you will press olives but not use the oil,
        you will crush grapes but not drink the wine.
    16 You have observed the statutes of Omri
        and all the practices of Ahab’s house;
        you have followed their traditions.
    Therefore I will give you over to ruin
        and your people to derision;
        you will bear the scorn of the nations.”

    Go Deeper

    Micah 6 plays out like a conversation between God and His people, with Micah interjecting in the middle. First, God calls the people to remember that they have been redeemed from slavery in Egypt. Remember that He provided godly leaders to show them the way. Remember their journey from Shittim to Gilgal (the journey across the Jordan River and into the Promised Land). In verses 9-16, God speaks clearly about the sin of the people. He calls them wicked, dishonest, violent liars. He says that they have been observing the statutes of Omri and the practices of Ahab. According to Bible scholar Thomas L. Constable, “This group of kings constituted some of the worst in the history of the Northern Kingdom, largely because of their idolatry and unjust oppression of the weak.” Verse 13 states, “Therefore, I have begun to destroy you, to ruin you because of your sin.” Wow. Let’s recognize from this that God takes sin seriously.

    In the middle of the chapter, Micah interjects with one of the most quoted verses of the Old Testament. First, he gives exaggerated examples of offerings the people can bring to God to atone for their sins, including rivers of olive oil and thousands of rams. The law required bringing offerings for the atonement of sin. But they continued to live in sin, thinking that as long as they checked the box of sacrifices and offerings, they could go on living as they pleased. Micah is using hyperbole to show the people that no amount of outward religious practices will make them clean and righteous before God. Then he simply reminds the people that God has already shown them what they are to do: “To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”

    God is not concerned with checking boxes of religious practices. Psalm 51:16-17 reminds us what God desires from us: “You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it: you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.” What He’s after is a heart change, evidenced by a change in how we live. He’s already shown us what is good. He’s already told us what He requires. May we trust Him enough to turn from our sin and walk in His ways. 

    Questions

    1. What is God teaching you through Micah 6?
    2. Do you feel any rebuke or correction as you read this chapter? If so, confess any sin the Holy Spirit is bringing to light and ask God to show you His way.
    3. How can Micah 6:8 serve as a form of training in righteousness to equip you for the good work God desires for you to do?

    Keep Digging

    Interested in learning more about what Micah 6:8 really means? Check out this article from GotQuestions.org!

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  • Rest Day

    Rest Day

    Rest Day

    Today is a Rest Day. There is no new Bible reading to do. Today, the goal is simple: rest in the presence of God. Maybe you need to use today to get caught up on the reading plan if you’re behind, maybe you want to journal what you’re learning so you don’t forget what God is teaching you, or maybe you want to spend time in concentrated prayer–do that. Above all, just spend time in God’s presence.

    Reflect on This

    As we read through this stretch of minor prophets, what themes are you noticing? Think about that as you answer the following questions:

    1. What surprised you about the scripture you read this week?

    2. What have you learned about the nature of God through the scripture you read this week?

    3. What have you learned about the nature of man through the scripture you read this week?

    4. What are the Gospel implications for us because of the scripture you read this week?

    Worship with Us

    Join us at 9a or 11a in person or online at harriscreek.org/live. We’d love to worship with you! We also desire to connect everyone with a local church body where they can thrive in community and use their gifts to serve. If you’re following our Bible Reading Plan from outside of Waco and are eager to get connected with a great local church, email us at [email protected].

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  • Micah 5

    Micah 5

    Read micah 5

    A Promised Ruler From Bethlehem

    5 Marshal your troops now, city of troops,
        for a siege is laid against us.
    They will strike Israel’s ruler
        on the cheek with a rod.

    2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
        though you are small among the clans of Judah,
    out of you will come for me
        one who will be ruler over Israel,
    whose origins are from of old,
        from ancient times.”

    3 Therefore Israel will be abandoned
        until the time when she who is in labor bears a son,
    and the rest of his brothers return
        to join the Israelites.

    4 He will stand and shepherd his flock
        in the strength of the Lord,
        in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
    And they will live securely, for then his greatness
        will reach to the ends of the earth.

    5 And he will be our peace
        when the Assyrians invade our land
        and march through our fortresses.
    We will raise against them seven shepherds,
        even eight commanders,
    6 who will rule the land of Assyria with the sword,
        the land of Nimrod with drawn sword.
    He will deliver us from the Assyrians
        when they invade our land
        and march across our borders.

    7 The remnant of Jacob will be
        in the midst of many peoples
    like dew from the Lord,
        like showers on the grass,
    which do not wait for anyone
        or depend on man.
    8 The remnant of Jacob will be among the nations,
        in the midst of many peoples,
    like a lion among the beasts of the forest,
        like a young lion among flocks of sheep,
    which mauls and mangles as it goes,
        and no one can rescue.
    9 Your hand will be lifted up in triumph over your enemies,
        and all your foes will be destroyed.

    10 “In that day,” declares the Lord,

    “I will destroy your horses from among you
        and demolish your chariots.
    11 I will destroy the cities of your land
        and tear down all your strongholds.
    12 I will destroy your witchcraft
        and you will no longer cast spells.
    13 I will destroy your idols
        and your sacred stones from among you;
    you will no longer bow down
        to the work of your hands.
    14 I will uproot from among you your Asherah poles
        when I demolish your cities.
    15 I will take vengeance in anger and wrath
        on the nations that have not obeyed me.”

    Go Deeper

    After a series of oracles pronouncing judgment followed by promises of hope, Micah 4 leaves with the establishment of the “mountain of the Lord” (4:1) and the collection of a “remnant” (4:6) that will become a “strong nation” (4:7). Micah 5 brings us to the tiniest of places, Bethlehem, where a ruler will come who will shepherd the flock “in the strength of the Lord” (5:4). This new hope, and for the whole world, comes by means of a new David. The influence of the nation over other nations is described in verses 7-9. Finally, after all we have seen and read through the Old Testament, especially in Judges, the remnant will remove all of the idols that have been an affront to God.

    The link between King David being born in Bethlehem, only to be followed by Jesus who is born in the same place is not just a fulfilling of prophecy, It sets the stage for the introduction of “a better David”, who will shepherd the flock and become their security and peace (5:6). Not only these things, but this king, Jesus, will be their “deliverer”. This ruler goes beyond saving the Israelis in the remnant but also the Gentiles who live among the many nations (5:8). After this time of deliverance, Micah explains how after the delivery of grace for all those who choose to follow this new ruler that “vengeance and wrath will be executed on the nations that did not obey” (5:15). The words that follow in chapter 6, tell the importance of hearing what the Lord says. The Lord wants us to listen so we can be in perfect restoration with Him.

    How should we respond to this in the area of salvation? God has not only saved us for ourselves but in order to reach out to the rest of the world. The prophecies proclaimed during this time by Micah, and even Isaiah, lead us to the Messiah and the command to spread the good news of the gospel both near and far. When we are saved, God can use us to allow Him to save others in the future. When God gives us grace, He allows for a restoration of the covenant where we can demonstrate faith through our use of love, justice, and mercy for those around us.

    Questions

    1. How can we listen for God’s voice and use His wisdom to influence those around us to become Christ-followers?
    2. What do we need to remove in the way of idols that will restore our relationship with God?
    3. Where aspect of our life can we identify as a refusal to embrace God’s purpose?

    Pray This

    Heavenly Father, thank You that in Your grace You have told us the end from the beginning, for Your word is true and Your promises stand fast for ever and ever. Forgive me for the times when my faith falters and fails or when foolish thoughts fluctuate in my mind, causing unfounded doubts and fears within. Thank you for showing me the false gods in my life, so we can focus our on you, the one true God

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  • Micah 4

    Micah 4

    Read Micah 4

    The Mountain of the Lord

    4 In the last days

    the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established
        as the highest of the mountains;
    it will be exalted above the hills,
        and peoples will stream to it.

    2 Many nations will come and say,

    “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
        to the temple of the God of Jacob.
    He will teach us his ways,
        so that we may walk in his paths.”
    The law will go out from Zion,
        the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
    3 He will judge between many peoples
        and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide.
    They will beat their swords into plowshares
        and their spears into pruning hooks.
    Nation will not take up sword against nation,
        nor will they train for war anymore.
    4 Everyone will sit under their own vine
        and under their own fig tree,
    and no one will make them afraid,
        for the Lord Almighty has spoken.
    5 All the nations may walk
        in the name of their gods,
    but we will walk in the name of the Lord
        our God for ever and ever.

    The Lord’s Plan

    6 “In that day,” declares the Lord,

    “I will gather the lame;
        I will assemble the exiles
        and those I have brought to grief.
    7 I will make the lame my remnant,
        those driven away a strong nation.
    The Lord will rule over them in Mount Zion
        from that day and forever.
    8 As for you, watchtower of the flock,
        stronghold of Daughter Zion,
    the former dominion will be restored to you;
        kingship will come to Daughter Jerusalem.”

    9 Why do you now cry aloud—
        have you no king?
    Has your ruler perished,
        that pain seizes you like that of a woman in labor?
    10 Writhe in agony, Daughter Zion,
        like a woman in labor,
    for now you must leave the city
        to camp in the open field.
    You will go to Babylon;
        there you will be rescued.
    There the Lord will redeem you
        out of the hand of your enemies.

    11 But now many nations
        are gathered against you.
    They say, “Let her be defiled,
        let our eyes gloat over Zion!”
    12 But they do not know
        the thoughts of the Lord;
    they do not understand his plan,
        that he has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor.
    13 “Rise and thresh, Daughter Zion,
        for I will give you horns of iron;
    I will give you hooves of bronze,
        and you will break to pieces many nations.”
    You will devote their ill-gotten gains to the Lord,
        their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.

    Go Deeper

    Like the previous chapters of Micah, this chapter shares prophecy and requires us to consider the full context of Scripture. In this book, we have seen God’s judgment on Israel, accusations against leaders and prophets, and the injustices committed openly called out. Now, we see glimpses of hope and the promise of restoration for the people of God.

     

    The opening verses of chapter four describe the Mountain of the Lord and speak of restoration for Jerusalem. This is to happen during the latter days, known as the Millennial Kingdom, when Jesus reigns for a thousand years on the earth, and we will see the fulfillment of covenants made throughout scripture. During this time, the temple will be established, and Jerusalem will be a meeting place of heaven and earth for all the nations. It will be a time when the people will turn their weapons into garden tools and sit under the shade of a fig tree–a symbol of peace and prosperity. Even still, not everyone will choose to pursue the way of the Lord. The latter verses speak of the Assyrian attack and Babylonian exile, but also of restoration and promise of a Shepherd-King. Once again, He will gather the flock and bring them back to their land. True to his nature, the Lord will redeem his people from their enemies and his sovereignty will be fully on display.

     

    God demonstrates his covenant faithfulness to his people throughout these events. After a period of judgment and exile, there is a time of restoration. This reflects the work of salvation. Without Christ, we are like exiles and subject to judgment. Because of Christ and the power of the gospel, we have the promise of redemption. It is by the Holy Spirit drawing us that that gospel is revealed, and we can be saved. As people who follow Christ, faithfulness to Him should mark our days. When God is our King, our lives should reflect his heart. We are a people who have been redeemed from sin and can go to the mountain of God. As we draw near to him, “He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths” (verse 2). This is what we are called to now while we await the greater restoration of the things to come.

    Questions

    1. Are you in spiritual exile, or have you trusted in the work of Christ to redeem you?
    2. If you are someone who claims God as your King, does faithfulness mark your days? If not, what needs to change?
    3. Thinking forward about the things to come, what excites you? What things are unclear?

    By the Way

    Micah 4:1-5 reflects Isaiah 2:1-5. These prophets prophesied at a similar time and were unified in the message they received from God and conveyed to the people.

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