Love Truth and Peace

-


Scripture:

Zech. 8:19 Thus says the LORD of hosts: The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be seasons of joy and gladness, and cheerful festivals for the house of Judah: therefore love truth and peace.

Observation:

The people of God had been fasting the days in which they commemorated the fateful events in the life of Israel.  The "fast of the fourth month" was to remind Israel that Nebuchadnezzar had entered Jerusalem in 586 B.C.  The fast of the fifth month "commemorated the burning of the Temple and other buildings in 586. The seventh remembered Gedaliah’s assassination. The tenth recalled the beginning of the siege of Jerusalem in 588 (2 Kings 25:1)." (Ryrie)  When Israel is restored all of this will change.  Fasting will become feasting in a period of time when the people love truth and peace. 

Application:

When would truth come?  Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life."  (John 14:6)  When Jesus was on this earth his disciples didn't celebrate the seasons of fasting and they were sharply criticized for this by the religious leaders.  Jesus responded, "How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them." (Mark 2:19)  The reality was that when the people of God would grasp Jesus -- the Truth -- when they would truly fall in love with him, then they would experience the peace of God in their lives, both individually and collectively. 

Our own fasting is turned into joy when we embrace the truth of Jesus Christ.  There is so much that life can throw at us -- so much frustration and disappointment.  As long as we focus on those things, we remain in a period of fasting, or mourning.  We are looking at the past and the things that have happened and we live in those.  We bring them up on a regular basis and we allow them to rule over us.  Instead, if we fall in love with Truth -- if we fall in love with Jesus Christ, he will bring seasons of joy and gladness to our lives.  It doesn't mean that the circumstances will change, but it probably means that we will change.

Falling in love with Jesus changes everything.  The things of this world suddenly don't matter as they did in the past.  The bad things in life become shadows in light of the truth and peace that we find in him.  I want to love Jesus -- for he is Truth and Peace.  He allows me to see the truth in the situations of life and gives great peace as I fall deeply in love with him.  Nothing matters beside my love for my Savior. 

Prayer:

Lord, I love you and am grateful that you turn our fasting into feasting.  Amen.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Take Off Your Ornaments

-
Scripture: Ex. 33:4 ¶ When the people heard these harsh words, they mourned, and no one put on ornaments. Ex. 33:5 For the LORD had said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people; if for a single moment I should go up among you, I would consume you. So now take off your ornaments, and I will decide what to do to you.’” Ex. 33:6 Therefore the Israelites stripped themselves of their ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward. Observation: The people had sinned before God by making and worshiping the golden calf!  They had taken their golden jewelry — the earrings and other items they had gotten from the Egyptians and used them to create an idol.  Now, in an act of humility and repentance they were to take off all of their jewelry and ornaments.  It was a time of mourning over their sin and it included intentional action on the part of the Israelites.  Application: We don’t do all that well with humility and repentance!  It seems that we live in a time when we try to carry
Read more

Does God Value Boys More than Girls?

-
Scripture: Lev. 12:1 ¶ The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: Lev. 12:2 Speak to the people of Israel, saying: ¶ If a woman conceives and bears a male child, she shall be ceremonially unclean seven days; as at the time of her menstruation, she shall be unclean. Lev. 12:3 On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. Lev. 12:4 Her time of blood purification shall be thirty-three days; she shall not touch any holy thing, or come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purification are completed. Lev. 12:5 If she bears a female child, she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her menstruation; her time of blood purification shall be sixty-six days. Lev. 12:6 ¶ When the days of her purification are completed, whether for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting a lamb in its first year for a burnt offering, and a pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. Lev. 12:7 He shall offer it before the LORD, and make atonement on her
Read more

The Advantage of Sanctification

-
Scripture: Rom. 6:22 But now that you have been freed from sin and enslaved to God, the advantage you get is sanctification. The end is eternal life. Rom. 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Observation: Two sides of life are presented here in great contrast.  One is a life of sin and enslavement to evil.  The other side of life is freedom which provides the advantage of sanctification (or holiness as some translate the word) that leads to eternal life.  The options here are a life of sin, slavery and death; or freedom, holiness and eternal life.  The advantage of holiness or sanctification is the benefit of the life of freedom.  Jesus died so that we might be made holy like him and this is something that is offered as a “fruit” or “advantage” right now.  The end is eternal life — but the living of life is that it can be lived out in holiness.  The next verse is really just an affirmation of the verse 22.  Sin will lead
Read more