“The
prophet, along with my God, is the watchman over Ephraim” (Hosea 9:8).
Being a watchman will involve speaking strong words of warning. It’s not
easy to speak God’s Word. It’s not easy to hear His Word. His Word
calls for change. It calls us to come out of our sin and into His
holiness. The watchman must speak of “days of punishment” and “days of
reckoning.” He must speak about “sins” and “hostility” (Hosea 9:7). Why
must he speak of such things? Before people can turn to the Lord, they
must be shown that they need the Lord. The watchman does not do this
work on His own. It is “the prophet, along with my God” who “is the
watchman.” We must never forget the Lord our God. Without Him, we can
never be real and true watchman. With Him by our side, we will listen to
what men will say, “The prophet is considered a fool, the inspired man a
maniac” (Hosea 9:7). We still say, “Being a fool for God is very
different from being a fool.” “The fool says in his heart, There is no
God” (Psalm 14:1). A fool for God is only a fool in the eyes of men.
He’s not a fool in the eyes of the One who really matters - the Lord.
“At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem”, the keynote of the service was joyful thanksgiving. They gathered together “to celebrate joyfully the dedication with songs of thanksgiving” (Nehemiah 12:27). “On that day they offered great sacrifices, rejoicing because God had given them great joy” (Nehemiah 12:43). They sang “songs of praise and thanksgiving to God” (Nehemiah 12:46). This joyful thanksgiving is only a foretaste of the greater joy and thanksgiving of heaven: “There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4). In the city of God, “the glory of God” will be shining with everlasting brightness (Revelation 21:23). The Church of God will be “prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband” (Revelation 21:2). The beautiful picture of the godly wife in Proverbs 31 gives us an outline of what God is seeking to do in His people. It is summarized in Proverbs 31:30: “A woman who fears the Lord is to be ...
Comments
Post a Comment