his Temple

January 29, 2018

The messenger to prepare the way (Mal 3:1-3:1)

“‘See!

I am sending

My messenger

To prepare the way

Before me.

Yahweh,

Whom you seek,

Will suddenly come

To his temple.

The messenger of the covenant,

In whom you delight,

Indeed,

He is coming.’

Says Yahweh of hosts.”

The Gospel of Matthew, chapter 11, applied this text along with Isaiah, chapter 40, to John the Baptist.  Just as Yahweh was sending his messenger to prepare his way, so too John the Baptist would prepare the way for Jesus the Christ.  Yahweh was sending his messenger to prepare his way for his re-entrance into his Temple.  Yahweh would suddenly come, because the messenger of the delightful covenant had prepared things for him.

December 28, 2017

Silence before Yahweh (Zech 2:13-2:13)

“Be silent!

All people!

Before Yahweh!

He has roused himself

From his holy dwelling.”

When Yahweh was in his holy place, everyone had to be silent before the presence of Yahweh.  He was aroused in his holy dwelling place, both in heaven and on earth in his Temple.

November 28, 2017

Yahweh was going to do away with false worship (Mic 5:12-5:14)

“I will cut off

Sorceries

From your hand.

You shall have no more soothsayers.

I will cut off

Your images.

I will cut off

Your pillars

From among you.

You shall bow down no more

To the work of your hands.

I will uproot

Your sacred poles

From among you.

I will destroy

Your towns.”

Yahweh was going to do away with all forms of false worship.  He wanted the pure worship of Yahweh at his temple in Jerusalem.  He was going to do away with all sorceries and soothsayers.  He was going to tear down all their false images and pillars.  They were not going to bow down before any more man-made images.  Yahweh was going to root out their sacred totem poles, and even destroy some of these idol worshipping towns.

February 11, 2017

The punishment for Bel (Jer 51:44-51:44)

“I will punish Bel

In Babylon.

I will make him

Disgorge

What he has swallowed.

The nations shall no longer

Stream to him.

The wall of Babylon

Has fallen.”

Yahweh says that he was going to punish Bel, the god of Mesopotamia. Thus with the defeat of Babylon, the god Bel was also defeated. The punishment was that Bel had to throw up what he had eaten. All those nations where Bel was their god would no longer stream to his temple, because Babylon had fallen.

February 5, 2017

Babylon is caught (Jer 50:23-50:25)

“How the hammer

Of the whole earth

Is cut down!

It is broken!

How Babylon has become

A horror

Among the nations!

You set a snare

For yourself!

You were caught!

O Babylon!

But you did not know it.

You were discovered.

You were seized

Because you challenged

Yahweh.

Yahweh has opened

His armory.

He has brought out

The weapons

Of his wrath.

Yahweh,

God of hosts,

Has a task to do

In the land

Of the Chaldeans.”

Babylon has become a broken hammer, a horror to all the countries. They had set a trap, but they themselves fell into it. The other countries found the trapped Babylon and seized it, because the Babylonians had challenged Yahweh by burning down his Temple. Thus Yahweh used all the weapons in his great armory of anger against Babylon. He had a task to do in the land of the Chaldeans. Why did Yahweh not do this sooner?