The oppression of foreigners in the land of Judah is such an interesting phenomenon, not only in that it demonstrated such a tremendous amount of forgetfulness on the part of God’s people, but also because we, as Christians, either think that this does not really apply to us , or because we tend to think of ourselves as foreigners---as strangers in a strange land. However, If we are renewed Israel, then we have to recognize that we are not the foreigners. We are not the strangers. We are the ones in the position to be potential oppressors. We are living in a world that began to be re-claimed two thousand years ago, serving as kings and priests to the most High God, through our union with Christ.
Therefore do we, as Christians, recognizing that we are living in a world in which God’s kingdom on earth has been inaugurated and where Jesus reigns as King over all of this creation that began to be renewed and re-made and set to rights with His resurrection, oppress foreigners who live in our land? It may seem like a strange question, because we are so accustomed to speaking and thinking in terms of being persecuted for faith or hated by the world. We have to remember that in Judah (and all Israel), foreigners in their land would have been those that were not members of God’s covenant people. Likewise, let us consider that before we were brought to the place of belief, through the faith gifted by the Holy Spirit through the power of the proclaimed Gospel of Jesus, we were foreigners in the midst of God’s kingdom on earth.
If we understand that, then we must consider how we find ourselves treating those that currently stand outside of God’s covenant that is marked by belief in Jesus as the Messiah and Ruler of all things? Do we oppress them? How do we oppress them? Are we not the ones that are oppressed? In a sense, yes, but in the end, we stand with and serve the One that is King of all, with all rulers subjected to Him. So rather than be the oppressed ones, we actually find ourselves, like Israel, in the place in which we can be the oppressor. So again, how can we oppress foreigners---those outside the covenant. Well, do we shun them? Do we think ourselves better than them? Do we isolate ourselves from them? Do we separate ourselves from who and what we speak of as “the world,” and by doing so, think that we are living holy and righteous lives that are pleasing to God? Do we merely shine as lights for each other, while leaving the “foreigners” groping about in an oppressive and chaotic darkness? Do we judge and condemn them for engaging in those things that we subjectively label as “sin,” and “preach” against “sin” rather than being the lights of God’s intention by preaching the message of the Gospel, and so find ourselves engaging in what it is that God finds far more heinous and deserving of His curse?
In addition, God says to stop oppressing “children who have lost their fathers, and women who have lost their husbands” (7:6b). God’s people had an obligation to orphans and widows. Not caring for them was the same as oppressing them. In the midst of all of our worthwhile endeavors in ministry as the renewed Israel in Christ, that is, God’s re-constituted covenant people, how are we doing in this regard? Along with the directive concerning the oppression of foreigners, orphans, and widows, God says, “Stop killing innocent people in this land. Stop paying allegiance to other gods” (7:6c). God says that all of these things “will only bring about your ruin” (7:6d).
We are always quick to emphasize the idolatry of God’s people that brought judgment, but it comes last in this listing of offenses against their God that bring ruin and exile. Idolatry would naturally grow out of the oppressions here recounted and the killing of innocent people, because forsaking that which was God’s purpose for them (because they possessed a nature corrupted by Adam’s fall---as does each one of us), God’s people would be determined to find a god in whose image they could actually believe themselves to have been made, and who would sanction their oppression.
God’s message to His people is “If you stop doing these things, I will allow you to continue to live in this land which I gave to your ancestors as a lasting possession” (7:7). If we, as people under the covenant of belief in the Gospel (Jesus, the crucified and resurrected man from Nazareth is Israel’s Messiah and Lord of all creation) desire to have a continued place in God’s kingdom on earth---in the land that He has given to His image-bearers and wise stewards as a lasting possession---then this passage from Jeremiah should serve as a clarion call to the duties of our vocation. Have we a need to change our ways and to start doing what is right?
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Change Your Ways (part 1)
The Lord God of Israel Who rules over all says: Change the way you have been living and do what is right. If you do, I will allow you to continue to live in this land.– Jeremiah 7:3 (NET)
As the prophet Jeremiah is still in the early stages of his prophecy of destruction and desolation and exile that is to come upon Judah because they have failed to be what God intended them to be, he passes along the instruction, from God, that His covenant people must “change the way” that they “have been living,” and to that end, must “do what is right.” God tells them that, if they do so, then He will allow them to continue to live in the land. By speaking of the land, and such an allowance, God is attempting to bring His people to remembrance of the major component of the curses that had been presented to them in Deuteronomy that would result from their not being faithful to the covenant into which they had been brought by their God. The greatest of all of those curses was the curse of being driven from their land and subjected to foreign oppressors, in exile from the land of their heritage.
Along with that, Judah would have had the extraordinarily vivid reminder of what had transpired in the history of their northern neighbor, Israel. More than a century earlier, Israel (the northern kingdom of the divided kingdom) had been conquered by Assyria and removed from their land of covenantal promise. God’s curse had come and exile had ensued. They had been scattered to the winds, never to be re-constituted in the form of the ten tribes that had composed the nation. The warnings had come to Israel through their prophets just as they were now coming to Judah. Israel had been directed to change their way of living and to do what was right. Because they did not, God faithfully executed His solemn promises by not allowing them to continue living in their land.
We find God repeating Himself in the fifth verse of this chapter, where we read “You must change the way you have been living and do what is right” (7:5a). To that is added “You must treat one another fairly” (7:5b). Now, because fairness is such a personally subjective and eminently fluid concept, we are probably best served by understanding this insistence on fairness as something more along the lines of “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” This second time that God speaks to His people about changing their ways and doing what is right, follows the mocking repetition of the high-mindedness of the people, in thinking that they were safe from judgment, because they could simply say, “The temple of the Lord is here! The temple of the Lord is here! The temple of the Lord is here!” (7:4b).
Why would they say that? To answer that, we must understand the purpose that the temple served? Along with being a reminder and representation of their God, of the tabernacle of the wilderness, and therefore of their redeeming Exodus from Egypt at the hands of their covenant-making-and-keeping God, the temple was the place where the people could go for the purpose of offering sacrifices for transgressions of the provisions of the law. The people could go to the temple, and through offering the requisite sacrifices prescribed under the law, receive atonement for their moral failings. In that day, God’s people relied upon this aspect of the temple every bit as much as God’s people, in this day, rely upon the sacrifice of Christ to provide the necessary atonement for transgressions that represent our failures to be the divine image and light bearers that God intends His people to be.
So when God directs His people to change their ways, what is it that they are doing that needs to be changed? When God instructs them to do what is right, to what is He referring as their actions that are wrong in His sight? What are His people doing that has God looking upon those things and saying, “If you keep doing these things, I am going to bring My promised curses and send you into exile away from the land that I have given to you”? After imploring them to treat others as they would want to be treated, God gives a list of those things that are severely offending Him. He says, “Stop oppressing foreigners who live in your land” (7:6a). You see, God’s people had forgotten that they had been foreigners in the land of Egypt. They had forgotten their previous exile from the land that had been given to Abraham. They had forgotten their exodus. They had forgotten Who it was that was represented by the temple, and from Whom they were seeking their atonement.
As the prophet Jeremiah is still in the early stages of his prophecy of destruction and desolation and exile that is to come upon Judah because they have failed to be what God intended them to be, he passes along the instruction, from God, that His covenant people must “change the way” that they “have been living,” and to that end, must “do what is right.” God tells them that, if they do so, then He will allow them to continue to live in the land. By speaking of the land, and such an allowance, God is attempting to bring His people to remembrance of the major component of the curses that had been presented to them in Deuteronomy that would result from their not being faithful to the covenant into which they had been brought by their God. The greatest of all of those curses was the curse of being driven from their land and subjected to foreign oppressors, in exile from the land of their heritage.
Along with that, Judah would have had the extraordinarily vivid reminder of what had transpired in the history of their northern neighbor, Israel. More than a century earlier, Israel (the northern kingdom of the divided kingdom) had been conquered by Assyria and removed from their land of covenantal promise. God’s curse had come and exile had ensued. They had been scattered to the winds, never to be re-constituted in the form of the ten tribes that had composed the nation. The warnings had come to Israel through their prophets just as they were now coming to Judah. Israel had been directed to change their way of living and to do what was right. Because they did not, God faithfully executed His solemn promises by not allowing them to continue living in their land.
We find God repeating Himself in the fifth verse of this chapter, where we read “You must change the way you have been living and do what is right” (7:5a). To that is added “You must treat one another fairly” (7:5b). Now, because fairness is such a personally subjective and eminently fluid concept, we are probably best served by understanding this insistence on fairness as something more along the lines of “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” This second time that God speaks to His people about changing their ways and doing what is right, follows the mocking repetition of the high-mindedness of the people, in thinking that they were safe from judgment, because they could simply say, “The temple of the Lord is here! The temple of the Lord is here! The temple of the Lord is here!” (7:4b).
Why would they say that? To answer that, we must understand the purpose that the temple served? Along with being a reminder and representation of their God, of the tabernacle of the wilderness, and therefore of their redeeming Exodus from Egypt at the hands of their covenant-making-and-keeping God, the temple was the place where the people could go for the purpose of offering sacrifices for transgressions of the provisions of the law. The people could go to the temple, and through offering the requisite sacrifices prescribed under the law, receive atonement for their moral failings. In that day, God’s people relied upon this aspect of the temple every bit as much as God’s people, in this day, rely upon the sacrifice of Christ to provide the necessary atonement for transgressions that represent our failures to be the divine image and light bearers that God intends His people to be.
So when God directs His people to change their ways, what is it that they are doing that needs to be changed? When God instructs them to do what is right, to what is He referring as their actions that are wrong in His sight? What are His people doing that has God looking upon those things and saying, “If you keep doing these things, I am going to bring My promised curses and send you into exile away from the land that I have given to you”? After imploring them to treat others as they would want to be treated, God gives a list of those things that are severely offending Him. He says, “Stop oppressing foreigners who live in your land” (7:6a). You see, God’s people had forgotten that they had been foreigners in the land of Egypt. They had forgotten their previous exile from the land that had been given to Abraham. They had forgotten their exodus. They had forgotten Who it was that was represented by the temple, and from Whom they were seeking their atonement.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Birth Of A Nation
Can a country be brought forth in one day? Can a nation be born in a single moment? – Isaiah 66:8b (NET)
The answer to this question, posed by the prophet Isaiah, is yes. A country can be brought forth in one day, and a nation can be born in a single moment, if that day and that moment is the Resurrection of the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, from the grave. Isaiah writes, “Yet as soon as Zion goes into labor she gives birth to sons!” (66:8c) Zion is the Lord’s mountain, the place of the New Jerusalem, of which it is said, “Be happy for Jerusalem and rejoice with her, all you who love her!” (66:10a)
With what appears to be a nod to the sixty-sixth chapter of Isaiah, the author of the letter to the Hebrews writes, “But you have come to Mount Zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the assembly and congregation of the firstborn, who are enrolled in heaven” (12:22-23a). Let it be said that the language of “Zion” is the language of the kingdom of heaven, and the kingdom of heaven that will be enlarged by the Gospel proclamation that Jesus is Lord of all, is that which was inaugurated at the Resurrection of Jesus. From the book of Revelation, we know that the heavenly Jerusalem comes to earth, and here in Isaiah we read God’s declaration that “just as the new heavens and the new earth I am about to make will remain standing before Me…so your descendants and your name will remain”(66:22). That new heavens and new earth seems to be tied to the birth of this new nation, an eternal nation, populated by descendants that share in eternal life in a renewed creation---at the intersection of heaven and earth.
Tying the birth of a nation to the Resurrection of Jesus and the labor and birthing of sons of Zion, it can be said that yes, as soon as Zion goes into labor---as soon as the kingdom of heaven begins to be manifest on earth by the power of the Resurrection and the power of the Gospel of Jesus---Zion does indeed give birth to sons. Those sons are sons of the kingdom of heaven. Those sons are the manifestation and the revelation of the sons of God, brothers in the union of belief with the risen Christ, for whom the creation has been eagerly awaiting (Romans 8:19).
Through the Resurrection and its power that brought to birth these sons of the kingdom, God says through Isaiah that “I am coming to gather all the nations and ethnic groups; they will come and witness My splendor” (66:18b). These nations and ethnic groups will be gathered by the preaching of the Gospel, and by the pure power contained therein. Jesus knew that the kingdom that had been promised to God’s Messiah (Israel’s King/Son of God) had been inaugurated by His Resurrection. For this reason, He said “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me” (Matthew 28:18b). Because He knew that it was the Father’s goal, Israel’s purpose as the covenant people of God, His purpose as the embodiment of Israel, and the purpose of the renewed Israel that would be brought into covenant through belief in Him as Lord and King to gather all nations and ethnic groups to witness the splendor of the Creator God, He added, “go and make disciples of all nations” (28:19a). That making of disciples would come about through the Holy Spirit’s application of the power of the Resurrection to hearts and minds, gifting faith for belief.
Furthermore, God says, “I will perform a mighty act among them and then send some of those who remain to the nations… and to the distant coastlands that have not heard about Me or seen My splendor” (Isaiah 66:19a,c). Turning to the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, we read about Jesus telling His disciples “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest parts of the earth” (1:8). Reading on a little bit farther, we find that “when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like a violent wind blowing came from heaven and filled the entire house where they were sitting… All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit” (2:1-2, 4a). With this mighty act, the firstborn of the sons of Zion received that power that would enable them to begin taking the message of the Gospel of Jesus to the nations and to the distant coastlands, thereby revealing the splendor and the majesty and the faithfulness of God. Through Isaiah, God said that this new country, this new nation, these sons of Zion “will tell the nations of My splendor” (66:19d), and indeed, they did, have, and are doing that very thing, empowered by the Spirit, as a nation under the rule of a resurrected and exalted Lord.
The answer to this question, posed by the prophet Isaiah, is yes. A country can be brought forth in one day, and a nation can be born in a single moment, if that day and that moment is the Resurrection of the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, from the grave. Isaiah writes, “Yet as soon as Zion goes into labor she gives birth to sons!” (66:8c) Zion is the Lord’s mountain, the place of the New Jerusalem, of which it is said, “Be happy for Jerusalem and rejoice with her, all you who love her!” (66:10a)
With what appears to be a nod to the sixty-sixth chapter of Isaiah, the author of the letter to the Hebrews writes, “But you have come to Mount Zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the assembly and congregation of the firstborn, who are enrolled in heaven” (12:22-23a). Let it be said that the language of “Zion” is the language of the kingdom of heaven, and the kingdom of heaven that will be enlarged by the Gospel proclamation that Jesus is Lord of all, is that which was inaugurated at the Resurrection of Jesus. From the book of Revelation, we know that the heavenly Jerusalem comes to earth, and here in Isaiah we read God’s declaration that “just as the new heavens and the new earth I am about to make will remain standing before Me…so your descendants and your name will remain”(66:22). That new heavens and new earth seems to be tied to the birth of this new nation, an eternal nation, populated by descendants that share in eternal life in a renewed creation---at the intersection of heaven and earth.
Tying the birth of a nation to the Resurrection of Jesus and the labor and birthing of sons of Zion, it can be said that yes, as soon as Zion goes into labor---as soon as the kingdom of heaven begins to be manifest on earth by the power of the Resurrection and the power of the Gospel of Jesus---Zion does indeed give birth to sons. Those sons are sons of the kingdom of heaven. Those sons are the manifestation and the revelation of the sons of God, brothers in the union of belief with the risen Christ, for whom the creation has been eagerly awaiting (Romans 8:19).
Through the Resurrection and its power that brought to birth these sons of the kingdom, God says through Isaiah that “I am coming to gather all the nations and ethnic groups; they will come and witness My splendor” (66:18b). These nations and ethnic groups will be gathered by the preaching of the Gospel, and by the pure power contained therein. Jesus knew that the kingdom that had been promised to God’s Messiah (Israel’s King/Son of God) had been inaugurated by His Resurrection. For this reason, He said “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me” (Matthew 28:18b). Because He knew that it was the Father’s goal, Israel’s purpose as the covenant people of God, His purpose as the embodiment of Israel, and the purpose of the renewed Israel that would be brought into covenant through belief in Him as Lord and King to gather all nations and ethnic groups to witness the splendor of the Creator God, He added, “go and make disciples of all nations” (28:19a). That making of disciples would come about through the Holy Spirit’s application of the power of the Resurrection to hearts and minds, gifting faith for belief.
Furthermore, God says, “I will perform a mighty act among them and then send some of those who remain to the nations… and to the distant coastlands that have not heard about Me or seen My splendor” (Isaiah 66:19a,c). Turning to the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, we read about Jesus telling His disciples “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest parts of the earth” (1:8). Reading on a little bit farther, we find that “when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like a violent wind blowing came from heaven and filled the entire house where they were sitting… All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit” (2:1-2, 4a). With this mighty act, the firstborn of the sons of Zion received that power that would enable them to begin taking the message of the Gospel of Jesus to the nations and to the distant coastlands, thereby revealing the splendor and the majesty and the faithfulness of God. Through Isaiah, God said that this new country, this new nation, these sons of Zion “will tell the nations of My splendor” (66:19d), and indeed, they did, have, and are doing that very thing, empowered by the Spirit, as a nation under the rule of a resurrected and exalted Lord.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Mordecai & Jesus
Now Mordecai went out from the king’s presence in purple and white and royal attire, with a large golden crown and a purple linen mantle. – Esther 8:15 (NET)
This was Mordecai’s vindication. Not only that, but this represented the vindication and deliverance of the covenant people of God, as the Jews were saved from the destructive decree that had been issued by Haman, and unwittingly enforced, by the king. Haman had been exalted and set above all of the officials of the kingdom of Persia (3:1). “As a result, all of the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate were bowing and paying homage to Haman, for the king had so commanded. However, Mordecai did not bow, nor did he pay homage… When Haman saw that Mordecai was not bowing or paying homage to him, he was filled with rage” (3:5). Because Mordecai would not bow to Haman, not only was he enraged at Mordecai, but “Haman sought to destroy all the Jews (that is, the people of Mordecai) who were in all the kingdom” (3:6b). Here, hatred directed towards Mordecai is converted into a plan to wipe out God’s covenant people. For Haman, Mordecai stands as the representative for all of the Jews.
So even though a decree of destruction against all the Jews was set forth, we know that the plan was foiled through the faithful actions of Esther. In a very Christ-like role, she willingly took her life in her hands and interceded on behalf of God’s covenant people, so as to spare their lives and bring punishment to their enemy. Effectively, prior to her brave intervention, the Jews were as good as dead. “Throughout each and every province where the king’s edict and law were announced there was considerable mourning among the Jews, along with fasting, weeping, and sorrow” (4:3a). They knew that they had been sold into death. Mordecai himself “went out into the city, crying out in a loud and bitter voice” (4:1b). We can almost hear him crying, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?”
Yes, it was as if God’s people had gone down into the very pit of death, and without the intervention of their God, to deliver them from certain destruction, there was no hope. But something happened. Though God is not mentioned in the Hebrew version of the book of Esther (though God is invoked in the extended, Greek Septuagint version), it is clear that their faithful, covenant God is on their side and working on their behalf, fulfilling His promises to them. In their fasting, weeping, and sorrow, they are clearly humbling themselves and seeking God, according to God’s promise to Solomon that we find in the second book of the Chronicles (7:14). They are under intense persecution and they are in need of redemption and deliverance. This is the same story that we find in the book of Exodus, repeatedly in the book of Judges, and also in the prophecy of Daniel.
Though in the grip of certain death, their deliverance comes. Figuratively, because of Esther’s actions, God’s people were resurrected from the dead. Fitting quite well with God’s controlling narrative and presentation of His plan of redemption through His Word, this shares echoes with the story of Abraham’s call to sacrifice Isaac. In that story, Abraham considered Isaac to be dead, but trusted that God would raise Him because of the promises that had been made to Abraham. Isaac, figuratively, went through death, and figuratively, was raised from the dead. Returning to Esther we read that “Contrary to expectations, the Jews gained power over their enemies” (9:1b). Yes, God’s covenant people triumphed, just as they would one day be made to triumph over the final enemy, that being death, through the Resurrection of Jesus and through their believing union with Him, with belief in the Lordship and Kingship of Jesus being the mark of God’s new covenant people and the way in which they are made to share in His Resurrection.
One of those people of the covenant, that being Mordecai, is not only resurrected, but exalted, representing the vindication of God’s people. He is exalted to a royal position, adorned “in purple and white and royal attire, with a large golden crown and a purple linen mantle” (8:15b), symbolizing that royalty. Yes, one man becomes the representative of God’s chosen people, and passing through persecution and suffering and a figurative death, he comes out on the other side, crowned as a king, as “Mordecai the Jew was secondly only to King Ahasuerus” (10:3a). This was what would be experienced by Jesus as well, Who would be exalted as King by His Resurrection, though in submission to the Father.
Indeed, all that will be said here of Mordecai should invoke thoughts of our Lord Jesus, Who was persecuted, went into death, experienced a Resurrection, and was shown forth as King. It is said of Mordecai that “He was the highest-ranking Jew” (10:3a), which is another way to think of Jesus. “He was admired by his numerous relatives” (10:3b), which was also true of Jesus following His Resurrection. “He worked enthusiastically for the good of his people and was an advocate for the welfare of all his descendants” (10:3c), as would Jesus, the Mediator between God and man. Prior to that, we read that “Mordecai was of high rank in the king’s palace, and word about him was spreading throughout all the provinces. His influence continued to become greater and greater” (9:4). As it was for the figuratively resurrected Mordecai, so it was for the physically resurrected Jesus. Jesus was given the name above all names and set above all rulers and powers. The Gospel of His Kingdom spread throughout all lands and His influence grew, with that influence spread and growing to this day.
This was Mordecai’s vindication. Not only that, but this represented the vindication and deliverance of the covenant people of God, as the Jews were saved from the destructive decree that had been issued by Haman, and unwittingly enforced, by the king. Haman had been exalted and set above all of the officials of the kingdom of Persia (3:1). “As a result, all of the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate were bowing and paying homage to Haman, for the king had so commanded. However, Mordecai did not bow, nor did he pay homage… When Haman saw that Mordecai was not bowing or paying homage to him, he was filled with rage” (3:5). Because Mordecai would not bow to Haman, not only was he enraged at Mordecai, but “Haman sought to destroy all the Jews (that is, the people of Mordecai) who were in all the kingdom” (3:6b). Here, hatred directed towards Mordecai is converted into a plan to wipe out God’s covenant people. For Haman, Mordecai stands as the representative for all of the Jews.
So even though a decree of destruction against all the Jews was set forth, we know that the plan was foiled through the faithful actions of Esther. In a very Christ-like role, she willingly took her life in her hands and interceded on behalf of God’s covenant people, so as to spare their lives and bring punishment to their enemy. Effectively, prior to her brave intervention, the Jews were as good as dead. “Throughout each and every province where the king’s edict and law were announced there was considerable mourning among the Jews, along with fasting, weeping, and sorrow” (4:3a). They knew that they had been sold into death. Mordecai himself “went out into the city, crying out in a loud and bitter voice” (4:1b). We can almost hear him crying, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?”
Yes, it was as if God’s people had gone down into the very pit of death, and without the intervention of their God, to deliver them from certain destruction, there was no hope. But something happened. Though God is not mentioned in the Hebrew version of the book of Esther (though God is invoked in the extended, Greek Septuagint version), it is clear that their faithful, covenant God is on their side and working on their behalf, fulfilling His promises to them. In their fasting, weeping, and sorrow, they are clearly humbling themselves and seeking God, according to God’s promise to Solomon that we find in the second book of the Chronicles (7:14). They are under intense persecution and they are in need of redemption and deliverance. This is the same story that we find in the book of Exodus, repeatedly in the book of Judges, and also in the prophecy of Daniel.
Though in the grip of certain death, their deliverance comes. Figuratively, because of Esther’s actions, God’s people were resurrected from the dead. Fitting quite well with God’s controlling narrative and presentation of His plan of redemption through His Word, this shares echoes with the story of Abraham’s call to sacrifice Isaac. In that story, Abraham considered Isaac to be dead, but trusted that God would raise Him because of the promises that had been made to Abraham. Isaac, figuratively, went through death, and figuratively, was raised from the dead. Returning to Esther we read that “Contrary to expectations, the Jews gained power over their enemies” (9:1b). Yes, God’s covenant people triumphed, just as they would one day be made to triumph over the final enemy, that being death, through the Resurrection of Jesus and through their believing union with Him, with belief in the Lordship and Kingship of Jesus being the mark of God’s new covenant people and the way in which they are made to share in His Resurrection.
One of those people of the covenant, that being Mordecai, is not only resurrected, but exalted, representing the vindication of God’s people. He is exalted to a royal position, adorned “in purple and white and royal attire, with a large golden crown and a purple linen mantle” (8:15b), symbolizing that royalty. Yes, one man becomes the representative of God’s chosen people, and passing through persecution and suffering and a figurative death, he comes out on the other side, crowned as a king, as “Mordecai the Jew was secondly only to King Ahasuerus” (10:3a). This was what would be experienced by Jesus as well, Who would be exalted as King by His Resurrection, though in submission to the Father.
Indeed, all that will be said here of Mordecai should invoke thoughts of our Lord Jesus, Who was persecuted, went into death, experienced a Resurrection, and was shown forth as King. It is said of Mordecai that “He was the highest-ranking Jew” (10:3a), which is another way to think of Jesus. “He was admired by his numerous relatives” (10:3b), which was also true of Jesus following His Resurrection. “He worked enthusiastically for the good of his people and was an advocate for the welfare of all his descendants” (10:3c), as would Jesus, the Mediator between God and man. Prior to that, we read that “Mordecai was of high rank in the king’s palace, and word about him was spreading throughout all the provinces. His influence continued to become greater and greater” (9:4). As it was for the figuratively resurrected Mordecai, so it was for the physically resurrected Jesus. Jesus was given the name above all names and set above all rulers and powers. The Gospel of His Kingdom spread throughout all lands and His influence grew, with that influence spread and growing to this day.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Israel & Adam
Israel was set apart to the Lord; they were like the firstfruits of a harvest to Him. – Jeremiah 2:3a (NET)
There are interesting similarities to be found between Adam (and Eve) and Israel. Adam, of course, was the first of humankind. Israel was chosen out of all humankind, beginning with Abraham, to be special, covenant people for the Lord. As Adam strayed from the Lord in the matter of the fruit and the rebellion, the actions of God’s chosen, special covenant people would later cause God to ask why “they strayed so far from Me” (2:5b). That straying was marked by the fact that “They paid allegiance to worthless idols, and so became worthless to Me” (2:5c). Essentially, they were following the path of Adam, who paid attention (allegiance) to the words of the serpent, through his wife, and thereby relinquished the responsibilities that had been given to Him by God, bringing a curse upon the earth. It could be said that Adam became worthless to God, and humankind became a liability in creation.
God said to Israel through His prophet Jeremiah: “I brought you into a fertile land so you could enjoy its fruits and its rich bounty” (2:7a). Likewise, humankind had been delivered into a perfect creation, a fertile land, given responsibility for stewardship and dominion over that creation, and instructed to enjoy all but one part of its fruits and its rich bounty. Because Adam could not restrict himself to that which God had offered for Him to enjoy, that perfect creation of God “was ruined in the sight of God; the earth was filled with violence” (Genesis 6:11). Because of Adam’s actions, “God saw the earth, and indeed it was ruined, for all living creatures on the earth were sinful” (6:12), that is, they had been subjected to corruption and decay because of humankind’s rebellion and faithlessness. Israel had been delivered into the bountiful land but God said that they had “defiled it,” adding that “you made the land I call My own loathsome to Me” (Jeremiah 2:7b).
The Lord goes on to ask, “Has a nation ever changed its gods (even though they are not really gods at all)? But My people have exchanged Me, their glorious God, for a god that cannot help them all!” (2:11). The question that is asked and answered concerning Israel, can equally apply to all of humankind. Just as Israel stooped and fell to the worship of other gods, so did Adam. For whom did Adam exchange his allegiance? First, to his wife, and secondly to the serpent, for the one that could effectively countermand the directives of their Creator, causing humankind to break faith with their God, is the one that is trusted and so worshiped.
Can we even imagine at the providential and creative God’s response to being rejected by Adam? We get a sense of it through God’s response at having been rejected by Israel, as we read, “Be amazed at this, O heavens! Be shocked and dumbfounded…Do so because My people have committed a double wrong: they have rejected Me, the fountain of life-giving water, and they have dug cisterns for themselves, cracked cisterns which cannot even hold water” (2:12-13). As humankind rejected their life-giver, turning their trust away from God and looking elsewhere for support, ultimately, to other creatures now marred and cursed and corrupted, so too did Israel reject their covenant God that had redeemed them from Egypt and carried them through all their years.
God says, “You have brought all this on yourself, Israel, by deserting the Lord your God when He was leading you along the right path” (2:17). Effectively, this bears little difference to what God would have said to Adam. Did he not desert the Lord and His path, bringing a curse upon all creation through not heeding the warning promise? Israel failed to heed the warning promises, and as a result, the faithful God was going to bring a curse upon His people. We go on to read “Your own wickedness will bring about your punishment” (2:19a). For Israel, the punishment was going to be the curses of siege, destruction, exile, captivity, and oppression. For humankind, we know that “cursed is the ground thanks to you; in painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life” (Genesis 3:17b). Continuing, God says, “Your unfaithful acts will bring about your punishment. Your unfaithful acts will bring down discipline on you” (2:19b). Israel’s unfaithfulness was to the covenant, and God’s requirements that they do not engage in idolatry, that they reverence the sanctuary, and that they keep His Sabbaths. Their punishment and their discipline was God’s faithfulness to His covenant, in response to His people’s lack thereof. Adam fared no better. His unfaithful act most certainly brought about punishment, as it carried death into the world for Himself and all living things. As the second Adam to come, Jesus reverses this, to carry death out of the world.
To Israel, to Adam, and to His covenant people from all nations and generations, God says, “Know, then, and realize how utterly harmful it was for you to reject Me, the Lord your God, to show no respect for Me” (2:19c). This is what is spoken by “the Lord God Who rules over all” (2:19d). The rejection, by Adam, of God’s singular command, brought the curse; and the rejection by Israel of God’s covenant laws and responsibilities that brought exile and captivity, in this day, is manifested in the rejection of Jesus as God’s anointed, crucified, and resurrected King and Lord of all creation. Submission to His rule means being brought into a fertile land, as were Adam and Israel, so as to enjoy its fruits and its rich bounty in eternal life and a renewal of God’s good creation. Rejection means a continued march into the bonds of death, under that curse forever.
There are interesting similarities to be found between Adam (and Eve) and Israel. Adam, of course, was the first of humankind. Israel was chosen out of all humankind, beginning with Abraham, to be special, covenant people for the Lord. As Adam strayed from the Lord in the matter of the fruit and the rebellion, the actions of God’s chosen, special covenant people would later cause God to ask why “they strayed so far from Me” (2:5b). That straying was marked by the fact that “They paid allegiance to worthless idols, and so became worthless to Me” (2:5c). Essentially, they were following the path of Adam, who paid attention (allegiance) to the words of the serpent, through his wife, and thereby relinquished the responsibilities that had been given to Him by God, bringing a curse upon the earth. It could be said that Adam became worthless to God, and humankind became a liability in creation.
God said to Israel through His prophet Jeremiah: “I brought you into a fertile land so you could enjoy its fruits and its rich bounty” (2:7a). Likewise, humankind had been delivered into a perfect creation, a fertile land, given responsibility for stewardship and dominion over that creation, and instructed to enjoy all but one part of its fruits and its rich bounty. Because Adam could not restrict himself to that which God had offered for Him to enjoy, that perfect creation of God “was ruined in the sight of God; the earth was filled with violence” (Genesis 6:11). Because of Adam’s actions, “God saw the earth, and indeed it was ruined, for all living creatures on the earth were sinful” (6:12), that is, they had been subjected to corruption and decay because of humankind’s rebellion and faithlessness. Israel had been delivered into the bountiful land but God said that they had “defiled it,” adding that “you made the land I call My own loathsome to Me” (Jeremiah 2:7b).
The Lord goes on to ask, “Has a nation ever changed its gods (even though they are not really gods at all)? But My people have exchanged Me, their glorious God, for a god that cannot help them all!” (2:11). The question that is asked and answered concerning Israel, can equally apply to all of humankind. Just as Israel stooped and fell to the worship of other gods, so did Adam. For whom did Adam exchange his allegiance? First, to his wife, and secondly to the serpent, for the one that could effectively countermand the directives of their Creator, causing humankind to break faith with their God, is the one that is trusted and so worshiped.
Can we even imagine at the providential and creative God’s response to being rejected by Adam? We get a sense of it through God’s response at having been rejected by Israel, as we read, “Be amazed at this, O heavens! Be shocked and dumbfounded…Do so because My people have committed a double wrong: they have rejected Me, the fountain of life-giving water, and they have dug cisterns for themselves, cracked cisterns which cannot even hold water” (2:12-13). As humankind rejected their life-giver, turning their trust away from God and looking elsewhere for support, ultimately, to other creatures now marred and cursed and corrupted, so too did Israel reject their covenant God that had redeemed them from Egypt and carried them through all their years.
God says, “You have brought all this on yourself, Israel, by deserting the Lord your God when He was leading you along the right path” (2:17). Effectively, this bears little difference to what God would have said to Adam. Did he not desert the Lord and His path, bringing a curse upon all creation through not heeding the warning promise? Israel failed to heed the warning promises, and as a result, the faithful God was going to bring a curse upon His people. We go on to read “Your own wickedness will bring about your punishment” (2:19a). For Israel, the punishment was going to be the curses of siege, destruction, exile, captivity, and oppression. For humankind, we know that “cursed is the ground thanks to you; in painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life” (Genesis 3:17b). Continuing, God says, “Your unfaithful acts will bring about your punishment. Your unfaithful acts will bring down discipline on you” (2:19b). Israel’s unfaithfulness was to the covenant, and God’s requirements that they do not engage in idolatry, that they reverence the sanctuary, and that they keep His Sabbaths. Their punishment and their discipline was God’s faithfulness to His covenant, in response to His people’s lack thereof. Adam fared no better. His unfaithful act most certainly brought about punishment, as it carried death into the world for Himself and all living things. As the second Adam to come, Jesus reverses this, to carry death out of the world.
To Israel, to Adam, and to His covenant people from all nations and generations, God says, “Know, then, and realize how utterly harmful it was for you to reject Me, the Lord your God, to show no respect for Me” (2:19c). This is what is spoken by “the Lord God Who rules over all” (2:19d). The rejection, by Adam, of God’s singular command, brought the curse; and the rejection by Israel of God’s covenant laws and responsibilities that brought exile and captivity, in this day, is manifested in the rejection of Jesus as God’s anointed, crucified, and resurrected King and Lord of all creation. Submission to His rule means being brought into a fertile land, as were Adam and Israel, so as to enjoy its fruits and its rich bounty in eternal life and a renewal of God’s good creation. Rejection means a continued march into the bonds of death, under that curse forever.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Fleshly Desires & Despising Authority (part 2 of 2)
“Those who indulge their fleshly desires and who despise authority” (2 Peter 2:10a) are despising “kuriotes,” which has the root of “kurios,” or “Lord.” This was an official title for Caesar, and would not be far from the mind of the reader if governmental authorities are actually being referenced. They are also said to be “Brazen and insolent” (2:10b). This insolence is demonstrated in that “they are not afraid to insult the glorious ones” (2:10c). Other translations render these “glorious ones” as “dignitaries,” or “those in exalted positions.” If these translations are accurate, then placing these words in the historical setting of the ongoing desire for rebellion against Rome is not terribly far-fetched. To this is added that “even angels, who are much more powerful, do not bring a slanderous judgment against them before the Lord” (2:11). “Them” being the dignitaries. Why does this occur? What is the root of these insults? It is the rejection and denial of Jesus as the Messiah. It is the rejection of the Gospel proclamation that Jesus is Lord and King. Because of this rejection, which leads to a continual desire to find and support a messiah that can fulfill the fleshly desires of the exaltation of national Israel, a great time of destruction will come.
We move on, reading that “these men, like irrational animals---creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed---do not understand whom they are insulting, and consequently in their destruction they will be destroyed” (2:12). Now, having just determined that insults were being cast against dignitaries and those of exalted position, it might be reasonable to think that this refers solely to such individuals. It seems possible, though, that there is a double meaning here, in that while they are insulting authority that, Paul has said has been established by God (with national Israel under the curse of Rome’s oppression as a result of God’s faithfulness to His covenant promises to them), they are truly insulting God Himself, through the rejection of the One that He showed to be the Son of God (King) and Messiah (King) by raising Him from the dead.
Through their insults and their speaking against the governing authorities in such a way as to stir up sedition and rebellion with the goal of a violent clash, the result will be their “suffering harm as the wages for their harmful ways” (2:13a). In fact, they make light of the gravity of what it is that they are doing and the destruction to come that they are fostering, “By considering it a pleasure to carouse in broad daylight” (2:13b). In this, “they are stains and blemishes, indulging in their deceitful pleasures when they feast together with you” (2:13c). They are insistent in their proclamation of their destructive heresy, as “they entice unstable people” (2:14b). Here, it can be said that they are enticing those that are not firmly rooted in the faith-granted belief in the Gospel of Jesus. No words are minced, as we read that “They have trained their hearts for greed, these cursed children!” (2:14c). Their desire for revolution and overthrow is rooted in greed, and their end will be the curse of being hanged on a tree, as Rome will apply its punishment of the cross to those that rebel. Indeed, “By forsaking the right path,” that being the path of belief in Jesus and His kingdom model which suffers violence rather than attempting to violently bring in the kingdom of God by force, they are said to “have gone astray” (2:15).
Going further, we find that “These men are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm, for whom the utter depths of darkness have been reserved” (2:17). This seems to speak of death. Why is this said? Because “by speaking high-sounding but empty words they are able to entice, with fleshly desires and debauchery, people who have just escaped from those who reside in error” (2:18). They particularly focus their attention on new believers. Those new believers, it seems, come from the ranks of Israel, and with their new belief, they are forsaking the way of national revolution. Before these new believers are able to fully comprehend what it means to believe in Jesus’ Gospel, and what is implied by His Kingship, those who deny this attempt to win them back to the old way.
It is said that “Although these false teachers promise such people freedom,” if they will join in the effort to cast off their worldly oppressors, “they themselves are enslaved to immorality” (2:19a). What is this immorality? Perhaps it is the continual rejection of God’s insistence that His covenant people strive to be a light to the Gentile nations (then and now), rather than wanting to condemn them and subjugate them (then and now), while holding on to the notions of exclusivity and provincialism (then and now) that were flatly rejected by Jesus Himself. Ultimately, these deniers and despisers are enslaved to their lust for power, and while they pretend to have a desire to vindicate their God through their actions and gain their freedom accordingly, instead we read “whatever a person succumbs to, to that he is enslaved” (2:19b). Those that live by the sword, will die by the sword, and power will have its way with them.
We move on, reading that “these men, like irrational animals---creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed---do not understand whom they are insulting, and consequently in their destruction they will be destroyed” (2:12). Now, having just determined that insults were being cast against dignitaries and those of exalted position, it might be reasonable to think that this refers solely to such individuals. It seems possible, though, that there is a double meaning here, in that while they are insulting authority that, Paul has said has been established by God (with national Israel under the curse of Rome’s oppression as a result of God’s faithfulness to His covenant promises to them), they are truly insulting God Himself, through the rejection of the One that He showed to be the Son of God (King) and Messiah (King) by raising Him from the dead.
Through their insults and their speaking against the governing authorities in such a way as to stir up sedition and rebellion with the goal of a violent clash, the result will be their “suffering harm as the wages for their harmful ways” (2:13a). In fact, they make light of the gravity of what it is that they are doing and the destruction to come that they are fostering, “By considering it a pleasure to carouse in broad daylight” (2:13b). In this, “they are stains and blemishes, indulging in their deceitful pleasures when they feast together with you” (2:13c). They are insistent in their proclamation of their destructive heresy, as “they entice unstable people” (2:14b). Here, it can be said that they are enticing those that are not firmly rooted in the faith-granted belief in the Gospel of Jesus. No words are minced, as we read that “They have trained their hearts for greed, these cursed children!” (2:14c). Their desire for revolution and overthrow is rooted in greed, and their end will be the curse of being hanged on a tree, as Rome will apply its punishment of the cross to those that rebel. Indeed, “By forsaking the right path,” that being the path of belief in Jesus and His kingdom model which suffers violence rather than attempting to violently bring in the kingdom of God by force, they are said to “have gone astray” (2:15).
Going further, we find that “These men are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm, for whom the utter depths of darkness have been reserved” (2:17). This seems to speak of death. Why is this said? Because “by speaking high-sounding but empty words they are able to entice, with fleshly desires and debauchery, people who have just escaped from those who reside in error” (2:18). They particularly focus their attention on new believers. Those new believers, it seems, come from the ranks of Israel, and with their new belief, they are forsaking the way of national revolution. Before these new believers are able to fully comprehend what it means to believe in Jesus’ Gospel, and what is implied by His Kingship, those who deny this attempt to win them back to the old way.
It is said that “Although these false teachers promise such people freedom,” if they will join in the effort to cast off their worldly oppressors, “they themselves are enslaved to immorality” (2:19a). What is this immorality? Perhaps it is the continual rejection of God’s insistence that His covenant people strive to be a light to the Gentile nations (then and now), rather than wanting to condemn them and subjugate them (then and now), while holding on to the notions of exclusivity and provincialism (then and now) that were flatly rejected by Jesus Himself. Ultimately, these deniers and despisers are enslaved to their lust for power, and while they pretend to have a desire to vindicate their God through their actions and gain their freedom accordingly, instead we read “whatever a person succumbs to, to that he is enslaved” (2:19b). Those that live by the sword, will die by the sword, and power will have its way with them.
Fleshly Desires & Despising Authority (part 1)
…especially those who indulge their fleshly desires and who despise authority. – 2 Peter 2:10 (NET)
How should we go about interpreting and understanding what it is that is being communicated in this second chapter of second Peter? When we read about the indulgence of fleshly desires and the despising of authority, we are tempted, through our training in modern-day Christendom, to understand this according to “spiritual” things. In so doing, “fleshly desires” become those “sins” of which we desire to partake, and “despise authority” is understood as rebellion against our pastors and church leaders, that are attempting to get us to live “holy lives.” However, as we look through this chapter, is it not possible to see traces of that first-century revolutionary fervor and messianic expectation and ongoing desire for rebellion against Rome that was so incredibly rampant? Might it be possible to place this writing in a historical context, and thereby gain a better understanding of the message of the Gospel (Jesus is Lord and King)? Let’s find out.
The author writes, “But false prophets arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you” (2:1a). Simple enough so far, as past is prelude to present for his readers. It is said that “These false teachers will infiltrate your midst with destructive heresies” (2:1b), which is what false teachers are generally in the habit of doing, “even to the point of denying the Master Who bought them” (2:1c). Clearly, the “Master” here is Jesus. What is the denial of Jesus? It is the denial that He is the Messiah. If one denies that Jesus is the Messiah, the natural corollary is to continue looking for, and pointing to potential messianic figures, that can rise up to overthrow Rome through military might. We can see ongoing evidence of this for over one hundred years after the death and Resurrection of Jesus.
Just as there were messianic claimants and attempted revolutions before Jesus, so there were messianic claimants and attempted revolutions after Jesus. The re-subjugation of Palestine between 66 and 70AD, which included the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, was the result of these continued movements. Owing to this, one could certainly speak of “destructive heresies.” Going on, we read “As a result, they will bring swift destruction on themselves” (2:1d). This is both prophetic and eminently practical. Because by all estimates, the four hundred ninety years of Daniel had come and gone without any discernible actions that would demonstrate that God had vindicated His people by placing Israel, under their messiah, as the head of all nations, a denial that Jesus was the Messiah would only lead to furious and fervent actions on the part of His people (Israel) to take it upon themselves to prove their God’s covenant faithfulness, doing so by taking up arms against their oppressors in the tradition of the Maccabees of old (2nd century BC).
We go on to read, “And many will follow their debauched lifestyles. Because of these false teachers, the way of truth will be slandered” (2:2). Remember, this false teaching is predicated on denying the Master, which is the denial of Jesus’ Messianic claims and status. Certainly, one could say that denying Jesus, which would entail the denial of His Resurrection as His vindication, would be a slandering of the way of truth. Further, it is said that “in their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words” (2:3a). What was it for which they might be greedy? Power? Money? Absolutely. The deceptive words that Jesus was not the Messiah, coupled with a play on the emotions of people in conjunction with the promises of their God, would make it relatively easy to exploit the people to band together and to rise up to achieve the ends desired by these false teachers.
What is said of such people, who deny the Master with destructive heresies, slander the way of truth, who indulge in fleshly desires for power and human glory, who despise authority (as we think about Paul’s repeated demands to respect governmental authority), and lead God’s people into debauched lifestyles that are not in accordance with God’s intentions for His people and the kingdom model established through Jesus? “Their condemnation pronounced long ago is not sitting idly by; their destruction is not asleep” (2:3b).
How should we go about interpreting and understanding what it is that is being communicated in this second chapter of second Peter? When we read about the indulgence of fleshly desires and the despising of authority, we are tempted, through our training in modern-day Christendom, to understand this according to “spiritual” things. In so doing, “fleshly desires” become those “sins” of which we desire to partake, and “despise authority” is understood as rebellion against our pastors and church leaders, that are attempting to get us to live “holy lives.” However, as we look through this chapter, is it not possible to see traces of that first-century revolutionary fervor and messianic expectation and ongoing desire for rebellion against Rome that was so incredibly rampant? Might it be possible to place this writing in a historical context, and thereby gain a better understanding of the message of the Gospel (Jesus is Lord and King)? Let’s find out.
The author writes, “But false prophets arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you” (2:1a). Simple enough so far, as past is prelude to present for his readers. It is said that “These false teachers will infiltrate your midst with destructive heresies” (2:1b), which is what false teachers are generally in the habit of doing, “even to the point of denying the Master Who bought them” (2:1c). Clearly, the “Master” here is Jesus. What is the denial of Jesus? It is the denial that He is the Messiah. If one denies that Jesus is the Messiah, the natural corollary is to continue looking for, and pointing to potential messianic figures, that can rise up to overthrow Rome through military might. We can see ongoing evidence of this for over one hundred years after the death and Resurrection of Jesus.
Just as there were messianic claimants and attempted revolutions before Jesus, so there were messianic claimants and attempted revolutions after Jesus. The re-subjugation of Palestine between 66 and 70AD, which included the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, was the result of these continued movements. Owing to this, one could certainly speak of “destructive heresies.” Going on, we read “As a result, they will bring swift destruction on themselves” (2:1d). This is both prophetic and eminently practical. Because by all estimates, the four hundred ninety years of Daniel had come and gone without any discernible actions that would demonstrate that God had vindicated His people by placing Israel, under their messiah, as the head of all nations, a denial that Jesus was the Messiah would only lead to furious and fervent actions on the part of His people (Israel) to take it upon themselves to prove their God’s covenant faithfulness, doing so by taking up arms against their oppressors in the tradition of the Maccabees of old (2nd century BC).
We go on to read, “And many will follow their debauched lifestyles. Because of these false teachers, the way of truth will be slandered” (2:2). Remember, this false teaching is predicated on denying the Master, which is the denial of Jesus’ Messianic claims and status. Certainly, one could say that denying Jesus, which would entail the denial of His Resurrection as His vindication, would be a slandering of the way of truth. Further, it is said that “in their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words” (2:3a). What was it for which they might be greedy? Power? Money? Absolutely. The deceptive words that Jesus was not the Messiah, coupled with a play on the emotions of people in conjunction with the promises of their God, would make it relatively easy to exploit the people to band together and to rise up to achieve the ends desired by these false teachers.
What is said of such people, who deny the Master with destructive heresies, slander the way of truth, who indulge in fleshly desires for power and human glory, who despise authority (as we think about Paul’s repeated demands to respect governmental authority), and lead God’s people into debauched lifestyles that are not in accordance with God’s intentions for His people and the kingdom model established through Jesus? “Their condemnation pronounced long ago is not sitting idly by; their destruction is not asleep” (2:3b).
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