Posts Tagged ‘ Sovereign ’
Declare his glory among the nations, his wondrous works among all peoples.
1 Chronicles 16:24, CSB
We can know that God is in control, keeping us from worry and fear. Let us share His glory and faithfulness with all people.
even there your hand will lead me; your right hand will hold on to me.
Psalm 139:10, CSB
No matter what life brings, God is in control. It is best to trust Him and live by His leading as found in the Bible, by the Holy Spirit, and with help from the Church.
During a recent daily reading plan, I read a passage that made me stop and make an unexpected connection between the Old Testament and the Birth Story of Jesus. Amazingly, an online friend of mine, SlimJim over at Veritas Domain (Domain for Truth), made the same connection. Thankfully for me, he did a lot of the hard work of study, so go read his take on this.
As for my take, here is …
I suggest reading all 21 verses of Obadiah before continuing.
It should be pointed out that there are no direct references to Obadiah anywhere in the New Testament.
The book of Obadiah is the prophecy that because of Edom’s treachery toward Israel, specifically not only not helping Israel and Judah but even aiding other people – most importantly Babylon – in attacking God’s people, Edom now faces impending destruction, and that Israel will be restored and glorified.
As Genesis 25 told us, Edom was the other name of Esau, Jacob’s brother, and they were in contention from the womb and forward. Genesis 28 also tells us that Esau married the daughter of Ishmael, his uncle through Hagar. This shows a two-fold animosity toward the people of Israel, descendants of the two brothers who did not receive the Abrahamic promises.
Edom lived in the area southeast of the Dead Sea, and they were later called in Greek the Idumeans (we can see the similar sounds to catch the same name) with an area that then extended west toward the Mediterranean Sea. We learn from Josephus’ Antiquities, primarily in Book 14, chapters 7-8, that Herod the Great has Greek, Jewish, and Edomite heritage.
Herod played up his Jewishness by his ordering construction of great buildings, most especially expanding the Temple to the biggest yet! He also played favorites with Roman Empire, showing his allegiances lied outside of worship to God.
Well, he continued the historical trend of sibling rivalry. As we see in Matthew 2, he was scared of someone becoming king over him, so he connived and made a decree to kill all of the Jewish boys in and around Bethlehem.
An Edomite was ruling over Judah and attempting to keep Jews under his control, just like Esau did centuries earlier with Jacob, and just like Esau’s descendants for centuries in between.
And this king is trying to kill the True King by slaughtering all the local boys, just like the king of Egypt 1,400 years earlier.
After they were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Get up! Take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. For Herod is about to search for the child to kill him.” So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night, and escaped to Egypt. He stayed there until Herod’s death, so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled: Out of Egypt I called my Son.
Matthew 2:13-18, CSB
Then Herod, when he realized that he had been outwitted by the wise men, flew into a rage. He gave orders to massacre all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, in keeping with the time he had learned from the wise men. Then what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:
A voice was heard in Ramah,
weeping, and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children;
and she refused to be consoled,
because they are no more.
And we see further fulfillment of v. 10,
You will be covered with shame
Obadiah 10, CSB
and destroyed forever
because of violence done to your brother Jacob.
You see, in another 40 or so years, his grandson Agrippa kills James the brother of John and tried to imprison Peter (Acts 12:1-19). After Peter is released by an angel, Agrippa leaves Jerusalem for Caesarea, and here he accepts worship from the people.
On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and delivered an oration to them. And the people were shouting, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!” Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last.
Acts 12:21-23, CSB
We see Herod’s house, leadership of Edom, being wiped out, just as promised.
The very next verse shows the Christmas promise, as well:
But the word of God increased and multiplied.
Acts 12:24, CSB
So, Obadiah can be considered a Christmas prophecy. You heard it here first (and from SlimJim, I guess.)
More importantly, we see how all of Scripture is connected.
We see that God is sovereign over history.
We see that God knew what was going to happen from eternity past.
We see that God keeps His promises of restoration as well as wrath.
So, we can trust Him and celebrate His redemptive work through the Son who dwelt among men, our Emmanuel, who now dwells in all believers by the Holy Spirit to the glory of the Father.
A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.“
Isaiah 40:3, ESV
God has given us peace through Christ by revealing His love through the cross, and it was proof of the prophecies from hundreds of years earlier, even of John the Baptist, showing God’s faithfulness. Our peace comes in knowing His sovereignty and omniscience.
I noticed that today is 12/12/24, and that made me think of the 24 elders around the throne in John’s vision from Jesus.
So, I want to call today Revelation 4 Day as a day to remember that God is sovereign and we will all bow down before Him.
(That should be everyday!)
God is in control.
He’s got this.
Regardless of who is in power.
Trust Him.
“The Lord is the one who will go before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or abandon you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.”
Deuteronomy 31:8, CSB
He is the Lord our God;
Psalm 105:7, CSB
his judgments govern the whole earth.
God is worthy of all praise, for He is our wise Creator and sovereign King of all things. Trust in the Lord of all Creation, praising His name.
Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.
Isaiah 26:4, ESV
We can rest our minds and hearts knowing God is beyond this world yet intimately involved, so we can trust that He has all things in control and will come redeem us for eternity.
In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.
Psalm 4:8, ESV
Our sovereign God is the source of all peace, and, when we are found in Christ, we can know that He is in control and watching over us at every moment
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace
Ephesians 1:7, ESV
We can have peace knowing that God is in complete control, and He has the power to remove our sins by the grace and blood of Jesus when we trust in Him.
a simple man of God 