"For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear my Name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings..." Malachi 4:1-2
Sunrise over Copinsay I will never forget the ongoing argument I had with the Lord over these verses. It was December 2004, and Henry and I had just celebrated the official grand opening of Sunrise Medical Campus. I had been asking the Lord for a passage of Scripture to share in the small glass-covered information box mounted to the left of the Chapel door. As I listened, I sensed God was prompting me to post the above passage, but I could not bring myself to post it. Didn't these verses seem a bit harsh, even offensive? Perhaps I could simply post verse 2??? The box remained empty for more than a month...
Then, on December 26th we awoke to the news of a catastrophic earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia. As I was reeling at the magnitude of the disaster and countless souls lost, God spoke sternly to me: 'Mercy and judgment go together!' Though it may seem harsh, it is always merciful to sound the warning before judgment falls.
"How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed?
And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard?
And how are they to hear without someone preaching?"
(Romans 10:14)
I posted the passage, reminding myself...Mercy and judgment... Judgment and mercy...
For the past several weeks I felt impressed upon to study the writings of the minor prophet, Zechariah. Once again, I have procrastinated. After all, it was CHRISTMAS, the season for 'tidings of comfort and joy!' Didn't the Lord know I was busy shopping and wrapping and baking???
But alas, Christmas is over. The New Year has begun. I finally sit down with my Bible, opening to the book of Zechariah....
It is early spring in the year 519 BC. After seventy years in Babylon, the first wave of exiles has returned to Jerusalem, to rebuild the House of the Lord. The altar has been constructed and set in its place. Sacrificial offerings are made as required by the Law of Moses. Though opposition from the locals was intense, the foundation of the Temple is completed at last! Exuberant celebration ensues! Trumpets blare, cymbals crash, and the remnant of God's people shout and sing:
"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His steadfast love endures forever!"
Like many of those present, a young man named Zechariah (the grandson of a prominent priest) had known only a life of captivity. He revels in the moment as he witnesses God's promise fulfilled, thinking of his father, who had only dreamed of this day...
The noise of the festivities can be heard from a great distance! Unsettled, the adversaries of Judah soon begin to step up their efforts to stop the rebuilding. Reacting to carefully crafted misinformation, the king orders construction of the Temple to stop. The committed remnant is now confused, intimidated and discouraged. Their focus gradually begins to shift. Time, energy and resources are devoted to personal matters. Homes are embellished, gardens are planted, and farmers sow their seed in freshly plowed fields. It seems their efforts are wasted however, as drought descends upon the land. Seedlings shrivel in the dust and God sends a warning through the prophet Haggai:
"Is it a time for you to dwell in your paneled houses while this house lies in ruins?
You have sown much and harvested little...
you eat, but never have enough and drink, but never have your fill...
BECAUSE MY HOUSE LIES IN RUINS!"
*******
Without much of an introduction, the Lord also begins speaking to Zechariah:
"I was very angry with your fathers!"
Perhaps Zechariah glances at the ruins that had once been Jerusalem...the rubble was a compelling testimony to his ancestors' unrelenting rebellion against God...
"Return to me, says the Lord of Hosts..."
"and I will return to you."
Zechariah's heart is broken up like the fallow ground in nearby fields! His ancestors ignored the merciful warnings of the prophets before him, and horrible judgment had overtaken them. He is determined NOT to follow in their footsteps! Repentant and humbled, he is now ready for the planting of the Lord...the first of eight Messianic visions would soon follow...
It has oft been said, that those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it. What can I learn from this encounter with Haggai, Zechariah and their fellow countrymen? A passage from 1 Corinthians comes to mind:
"But let each one take care (pay attention!) how he builds upon it.
For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid,
which is Jesus Christ.
Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver and precious stones,
wood, hay, straw--each one's work will become manifest (made public!),
For the Day will disclose it (literally 'peel it like an onion'),
Because it will be revealed (apokalupto-the cover removed) by fire,
And the fire will test (examine and discern) what sort of work each one has done.
If the work anyone has built on the foundation survives,
he will receive a reward.
If anyone's work is burned up,
he will suffer loss,
Though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.
Do you not know that you are God's temple???"
(1 Corinthians 3:10-16)
For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid,
which is Jesus Christ.
Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver and precious stones,
wood, hay, straw--each one's work will become manifest (made public!),
For the Day will disclose it (literally 'peel it like an onion'),
Because it will be revealed (apokalupto-the cover removed) by fire,
And the fire will test (examine and discern) what sort of work each one has done.
If the work anyone has built on the foundation survives,
he will receive a reward.
If anyone's work is burned up,
he will suffer loss,
Though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.
Do you not know that you are God's temple???"
(1 Corinthians 3:10-16)
In laying down His life for my sin, Jesus laid the foundation for a new life! I am expected to build on that foundation...and challenged to build a life suitable for habitation by God Himself! I have to ask myself a few questions:
1. Am I building? Or have I become distracted, intimidated or discouraged?
2. Is Christ my true foundation, or am I trying to build in my own strength?
3. Am I building to last? Am I giving my best, or just building for show?
4. What will my work look like when the layers are peeled back on the Day of the Lord?
5. Am I laboring for things that will burn up in an instant, or for eternal reward?
6. Is my life a visible expression of gratitude for the foundation I have in Christ Jesus?
May the word of the Lord to Zechariah ring for us throughout the New Year:
"Return to Me...and I will return to you!"
1. Am I building? Or have I become distracted, intimidated or discouraged?
2. Is Christ my true foundation, or am I trying to build in my own strength?
3. Am I building to last? Am I giving my best, or just building for show?
4. What will my work look like when the layers are peeled back on the Day of the Lord?
5. Am I laboring for things that will burn up in an instant, or for eternal reward?
6. Is my life a visible expression of gratitude for the foundation I have in Christ Jesus?
May the word of the Lord to Zechariah ring for us throughout the New Year:
"Return to Me...and I will return to you!"
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