Coming to the end of the verse of the prophets, I let out a huge sigh. Not of relief, but of reflection at the vastness of these books. These men were chosen by God to do things so far outside of themselves. Isaiah said, “I am a man of unclean lips”, not feeling worthy to proclaim His word, so God took a coal off the alter and purified his words. Jeremiah said, “I can’t speak, I’m a child!” God replied “You‘re not a child, You will speak the words I give you to speak.” He was adequate in their inadequatcies, just like He is with us today. I have found myself saying, “This is too huge, I don’t know how to even write this!” And God told me, “Just write.” He told us in Matthew chapter 10 to take no thought for what we will speak because the Holy Spirit will give us the words at the time. (Paraphrased)
When we look at the books of the prophets on the surface, we see God proclaiming judgement. Judgement upon Israel, Judah and the surrounding nations and cities. On the surface, we see the anger and wrath of a holy God. It is when we look deeper that we see in spite of judgement, which was a result of man’s sin, not just because God wanted to punish them, the layers of love and mercy intertwined in each book. The promises of restoration, of security, and of love are given with each proclamation of judgement. He even extended His mercy to a city of people that were enemies to His chosen people, much to the anger and dismay of the prophet He sent to them. His mercy endures forever.
When we go deeper yet, all throughout the prophets, we see Jesus. The prophecies about His birth, His ministry, His death and His return. We see prophecy about John the Baptist. We see the promises of the Messiah woven through the words of men who lived in different time frames, bearing witness to each other.
From cover to cover, the Bible is all about Jesus. He is the Word. He is the way, the truth, and the life. And as we close the cover on the Old Testament, we prepare to open the cover on the New. In doing so, I am reminded of the lyrics of a song that says:
It’s all about you, Jesus
and all this is for you,
for your glory and your fame.
It’s not about me, as if you should do things my way.
You alone are God and I surrender to your ways. Jesus Lover of My Soul (It’s all about You)
”He Is” is a journey into Him. It is a journey to become more rooted and grounded in Him. It is a lifestyle change to become more like Him. It is a movement in my heart and spirit and I hope that it is for you as well. Please join me as we step from the Old Testament into the New and continue seeing who He Is through the books about His ministry and the ministries of His disciples. He is calling each of us. The question is, do we stay in the boat,or do we drop our nets and follow Him? The choice is ours.
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