Category Archives: Judgment

Accused, Battles, Bible, Consequences, Forgiveness, God's Will, Innocent, Judgment, Justice, Kindness, Relationships, Scripture

INNOCENT VICTIM

MALACHI 2:14

“Yet you say, ‘For what reason?’ Because the LORD has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously, though she is your marriage companion and your wife by covenant.”

Not many things divide the church like the subject of divorce. Some look at divorcees as having leprosy. They are not allowed to serve in certain areas of the church. A divorced man is instantly disqualified from ministry. I could go on and on. Few people take the time to find out why that person is divorced and if they, like today’s verse talks about, are the innocent victim in their divorce.

Malachi comes down hard on these priests in today’s verse. He plainly says that the Lord has taken up the defense of these discarded wives who are the innocent victims. They had done nothing wrong. They were the victims of their husbands wanting the foreign wives. God will defend the helpless.

APPLICATION

I am reminded of the verse in Psalm 103. Verse 6 says, “The LORD performs righteous deeds and judgments for all who are oppressed.” We are not always guaranteed justice in a court of law, but in God’s court, justice always reigns. That justice may be a long time coming, but He is always right on time. He is never late in His justice.

Take a look in your own church. How many divorcees are there? How many single moms are the innocent victims of their divorce? How many single men? How many people are remarried after a divorce but are still seen as “guilty” even though they too were the innocent victim. We cannot be too quick to judge, can we?

In fact, Jesus talks a little about that. Luke 6:37 tells us, “‘Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned.’” This comes right after the Beatitudes which most of us are familiar with. Take a few minutes and read that section of Scripture. I promise the words will encourage you.

Lord, forgive me when I judge others without knowing the whole story. Lead me to those who just need an encouraging word.

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Accountability, Bible, Calling, Commands, God's Will, Holiness, Integrity, Judgment, Scripture

YOUR TURN

MALACHI 2:1

“‘And now, this commandment is for you, the priests.’”

Hearing the words that it is now your turn can be either delightful or terrifying. When the dentist says, “Okay, Mr. Willis, it’s your turn” I am a little terrified. I don’t like to go to the dentist. That’s nothing personal against the dentist. I just don’t like people in my mouth with power tools. And that whirring sound – now that is truly terrifying.

So, as we begin chapter two of Malachi, God is giving the priest a heads up. He says, “And now, it’s your turn, priests.” Actually, He says He has a commandment for them. We will see in the coming days what that is. (Hint, hint – it’s not good). Now, what is a commandment? Here, the better word would be “decree.” Listen up, priests.

APPLICATION

What is the Lord saying to us in this verse? Do you want to know what I found for me? God is calling me to attention. He is telling me to listen up, to pay attention, to do what He says. I know I am not a priest in the Old Testament sense of the word, but I  am a priest according to His word.

I Peter 2:9-10 calls us that. “9 But you are A CHOSEN PEOPLE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR GOD’S OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.”

Are you listening, priests? Are you obeying all He has commanded? Are you leading well? Each of those is an important question that we must answer ourselves. If you are a believer, God has called you into His priesthood. Priests lead others to worship. Will you do that?

Father, I am blown away by your mercy. You have chosen me to be Your priest. Use me, Lord.

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Abundance, Bible, Blessing, Consequences, Dependence, God's Will, Judgment, Rain, Scripture

JUST AND UNJUST

ZECHARIAH 14:17

“And it will be that whichever of the families of the earth does not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of armies, there will be no rain on them.”

Rain is so essential for life. Plants must have it to grow. Crops must have it to produce. Lakes and streams need it to stay full. Animals in the wild need it or they will perish. I have seen firsthand the result of no rain in Kenya, where I travel each year. They have been in a period of drought for many years now in parts of the country. Without this precious rainfall life grounds to a halt.

God promises the withholding of this precious resource to those who oppose Him. This is nothing new. We see this throughout the Old Testament. Deuteronomy 28:23-24 shows this. “23 The heaven which is over your head shall be bronze, and the earth which is under you, iron. 24 The LORD will make the rain of your land powder and dust; from heaven it shall come down on you until you are destroyed.” Bottom line is this – God controls the rain. It falls where He desires.

APPLICATION

I am not implying that those people in the world who are suffering from drought conditions are all sinners. Even Jesus said this in Matthew 5:44-45. “‘44 But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may prove yourselves to be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.’”

What I want you to see in today’s verse in Zechariah is this – God is in control. He measures the rain by each and every drop. He knows who needs it and who doesn’t. Man does not control the weather. Neither can we make it react a certain way. We have heard far too much about climate change, in my opinion. The climate changer is God Himself. After all, didn’t He create the climate?

In today’s verse, God is changing the weather to drive people to Him. What is God having to change in your life to get you to draw yourself to Him. James 4:8 tells us, “Come close to God and He will come close to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” Come close now!

Father, I know You send the rains, and I praise You for them. Help me draw close to You.

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Abiding, Allegiance, Battles, Bible, Consequences, Devil, Enemies, Fighting, God's Will, Judgment, Justice, Rebellion, Satan, Scripture

YOU HAVE TO PICK A SIDE

ZECHARIAH 14:12

“Now this will be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the peoples who have gone to war against Jerusalem; their flesh will rot while they stand on their feet, and their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongue will rot in their mouth.”

I have mentioned before my two experiences with stem cell transplants. Both times I had chemotherapy which is horrible. I was blessed in that I did not have to take it long term. But each time I went to have a treatment I would see other patients who were not so lucky. They were skeletons, having lost so much weight. They had no hair, and their eyes were sunk back into their heads. Each time I saw them I would say a prayer for their healing.

Why do I tell that story? Well, it’s the closest thing I have ever seen to the description in today’s verse. This plague put on the enemies of Jerusalem is consistent with the effects of a nuclear bomb on the human body. I am not saying that is what will happen. God doesn’t need a bomb. He has the power to inflict any damage He desires on His enemies. This is probably one of the worse judgment scenes in the Bible. What a horrible consequence of using their mouth to blaspheme and their eyes to lust after Israel.

APPLICATION

Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Why would I quote this verse? Because while we were sinners, we were His enemies. We were enemies of the cross, as Paul says in Philippians 3:18. “For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even as I weep, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ,”

Whose side are you on? God’s or man’s? God’s or the devil’s? That is what it amounts to. In past wars on earth there have been nations that remained neutral, out of the fight. There will be no neutral ground in this final battle. You cannot remain neutral. You must choose a side.

I love the verse in Joshua that reads, “‘But if it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served, which were beyond the Euphrates River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.’” (Joshua 24:15) How about you?

Thank You, Lord, for allowing me to be on Your side. I want to serve in Your army.

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Appearance, Bible, Christ's Return, Deliverance, Devil, End Times, Eternity, Evil, Following, Glory, God's Will, Heaven, Hell, Judgment, Miracles, Return, Scripture

ESCAPE ROUTE

ZECHARIAH 14:5

“And you will flee by the valley of My mountains, for the valley of the mountains will reach to Azel; yes, you will flee just as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with Him!”

I have had the opportunity to participate in a couple of Escape Room experiences. You know – those rooms set up to allow groups of people to problem solve a situation, gather clues and follow directions to get out of that room. There is always a way out if the team can just figure it out. Fortunately, I was able to escape each time, lol.

Look back at verse 4 of Zechariah 14 for a second. It says, “…the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west forming a very large valley…” That valley is the one referred to in today’s verse. Azel was obviously a village on the other side of that valley. The earthquake mentioned here is not in historical records but must have been massive for it to have been remembered two centuries later. But the best part of this verse is the last phrase – “Then the LORD, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with Him!”

APPLICATION

Wow, there’s a lot in that verse, huh? Where do we start? First of all, let’s address the escape route that God will make for the people of Jerusalem on that day. He does the miraculous to achieve His purpose. He is still doing that today. We can all probably recount a story that was nothing less than miraculous. Will you join me in looking around for those today? God is still providing a way out for us. We can share the story of Jesus with someone who is lost today and provide them with that miraculous way of escape from the punishment of hell.

How about the Lord returning with “all the holy ones”? Won’t that be a sight? I plan to be there. These “holy ones” will include His legions of angels and perhaps all the saints. That last part is us, the believers, who are with Him in glory. That is shouting ground. Look at Jude 1:14-15. “14 Behold, the Lord has come with many thousands of His holy ones, 15 to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”

Whether I am with Him or not when He returns to earth to judge it, the fact of the matter is He is coming with authority. He is coming back as King and Judge, not a baby in a manger. He is not coming back to spend years teaching. No, He is coming back to issue forth judgment on the unbelieving masses and on the evil one himself. What a day that will be!

What a day that will be, when my Jesus I shall see. And I look upon His face, the One who saved me by His grace…What a day, glorious day that will be. 

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Abiding, Belief, Bible, Following, God's Will, Judgment, Messiah, Return, Scripture

ON THAT DAY

ZECHARIAH 14:4

“On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west forming a very large valley. Half of the mountain will move toward the north, and the other half toward the south.” 

We have all had days that we waited anxiously for – Christmas morning, wedding day, the birth of a child. Some are more exciting than others. They all have one thing in common. We can’t make that day come any quicker. We have to wait for the day to arrive. We count the days, hours and even seconds, don’t we? We are pretty anxious bunch.

Oh, beloved, look at today’s verse. We are told that one day the long-awaited Messiah will come. We know Him as Jesus, the Son of God. He will come and stand on the Mount of Olives. When that happens there will be a great earthquake which will split the mountain. We believe this is literally what will happen. But just like our awaited days, this day will only occur when it is time. We can make guesses, but we can’t change the date. When it is time, God will send Him. He is coming. That is for sure.

APPLICATION

At the ascension of Christ, angels appeared and told the disciples, “and they said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.’” (Acts 1:11) That should get your heart pumping. That should excite you much more than the anticipation of any day on your calendar. He will return, just like He came.

Now, to be clear, this is NOT the rapture. That will precede this. We, the believers in Christ, will be caught up by Jesus in the air. This event prophesied in Zechariah 14:4 is when Jesus will literally return to earth to judge it. For those who remain on earth after the rapture, who have gone through the tribulation period, this will be a scary time. For those of us who accompany Him, it will be a glorious time. Which side will you be on?

I know where I will be. I will be with Jesus. I’m already on His side. I am just anxiously waiting. Will it be today? Tomorrow? Only the Father knows! Jesus told us in Matthew 24:42, “‘Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.’”

Lord, I am ready. Help me lead others to You so they too will be ready.

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Accountability, Bible, Judgment, Remnant, Scripture

JUDGMENT CONTINUES

ZECHARIAH 14:1

“‘Behold, a day is coming for the LORD when the spoils taken from you will be divided among you.’” 

Sometimes you just know the hammer is going to fall. When you blow through a redlight only to see a police car sitting there. Or when you are hunting on a baited field and the game warden shows up (not that that every happened to me, lol). We can definitely bet on one thing happening – God’s judgment. It is coming on the earth, and people need to know.

Verse 1 of this final chapter in Zechariah continues the message from the previous chapter. Remember, there weren’t chapter divisions in the original manuscripts. The Lord warns the people that judgment day is coming. We don’t know the specific time of this judgment. Some say it was the Roman or Babylonian defeat of Jerusalem. Others say it is yet to come. But we know it is coming because the Lord said it.

APPLICATION

As I write this devotional, Israel is under attack on at least two fronts (north and south). We know God’s chosen people will face enemies in the latter days. They will all want to destroy Israel. We also know God has promised a remnant. That remnant is guaranteed.

We need to be telling everyone that judgment day is upon us. Now, before you start calling for a counselor to talk some sense into me, let me just remind you that this judgment is guaranteed by our God. It may be 100 years from now, or it could be tomorrow. Why wait? Why risk not being prepared? Why not tell everyone?

Tomorrow, tell someone that Jesus loves them. Tell them He is coming again to take His bride, the church, all believers, with Him to glory. No one should want to be left behind. It will not be pleasant. Whatever is happening in Israel right now, it is a prelude of what is to come. Get ready!

O Lord, I want everyone to be ready to hear that trumpet and be ready to see Your face.

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Abundance, Bible, Calling, Counting, Friends, God's Will, Gospel, Judgment, Salvation, Scripture, Witnessing

A LITTLE MATH

ZECHARIAH 13:8

“‘And it will come about in all the land,’ declares the LORD, ‘that two parts in it will be cut off and perish; but the third will be left in it.’”

I used to be pretty good at math. I kind of naturally got the concepts. So, when we were taught fractions, I understood it.  Fast forward to adulthood. Who would have ever thought I would use those numbers again? But they come up all the time. Just about every day there is something to measure or weigh or divide. Thanks Mrs. Barry, for all those things you poured into my head.

The Lord did not need to be taught math concepts. He is the Creator of all things. He uses numbers in describing the judgment that would befall Israel. Scholars disagree whether this prophecy shared by Zechariah applied to Israel’s fall under Rome or a judgment yet to come. Either way, it had to be hard to hear that only one third would remain.

APPLICATION

We find similar measurements in other parts of the Bible. Look in 2 Samuel 8:2. “And He defeated Moab, and measured them with the line, making them lie down on the ground; and he measured two lines to put to death, and a full line to keep alive. And the Moabites became servants to David, bringing tribute.”

How about in Ezekiel 5:12? “A third of you will die by plague or perish by famine among you, a third will fall by the sword around you, and a third I will scatter to every wind, and I will unsheathe a sword behind them.” God has always measured judgment exactly.

Romans 11:5 tells us, “In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God’s gracious choice.” God is always looking out for the remnant, those who will choose to follow Him. Unfortunately, the mass of people in this world will not. It is our job as believers to try to share with as many of them as we can.

While we are doing math, count the number of lost friends you have. How many are there? Now, how many of them are you going to share Jesus with this week? This year? Start counting the number of people you see come to Christ this year because of your friendship. God is counting every soul. We should too.

Father, help me be a better enumerator of souls that are won into your kingdom that are part of my circle of friends.

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Accountability, Affliction, Bible, Captivity, Compassion, Consequences, Enemies, Forgiveness, God's Will, Judgment, Punishment, Restoration, Scripture

NO COMPASSION

ZECHARIAH 11:6

“‘For I will no longer have compassion for the inhabitants of the land,’ declares the LORD; ‘but behold, I will let the people fall, each into another’s power and into the power of his king; and they will crush the land, and I will not rescue them from their power.’”

It is hard to have compassion for people who willingly make bad decisions. At least, it is for me. When people fall into hard times due to no fault of their own, I want to reach out and lend a helping hand. But someone who time and time again chooses to satisfy their own flesh at the expense of themselves and others seems to deserve whatever comes their way. Does that seem hard? Well, look at today’s verse.

The Lord is saying He was going to allow His chosen people to suffer because of their willful disobedience. When He says He will show no compassion, He is saying there is no pity for their plight. He was, in fact, going to send another nation to punish them. Babylon would rise up and defeat them and carry them off into exile, just like the Lord said.

APPLICATION

Unlike the Israelites, we have mercy and grace through the blood of Jesus to cover our sins. That does not give us freedom to live as we want, though. We still must follow the Lord. Paul says in Romans 6:1, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?” The answer to that question is obvious, isn’t it?

I really love what the Apostle John writes in 1 John 1:9. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” That’s it. That’s the secret. Confession! We need to stay “confessed up.” Unlike the Israelites, who were taken into captivity for 70 years, we can have immediate forgiveness.

I have to confess something to you. I have to confess my sins daily, sometimes more than that. I have learned how important that is. I start my mornings doing that. It’s the first thing I do right after I have a short time of worshipping the Lord. I do my best to humble myself before His throne and ask Him to forgive me of any impure thought or unkind deed. I want His cleansing. Don’t you? It’s there, for the asking.

Cleanse me with hyssop and I shall be clean. Wash me and I will be whiter than snow.

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Affliction, Altars, Belief, Bible, Death, Faithfulness, God's Will, Judgment, Offering, Sacrifice, Scripture

JUST FOLLOWING ORDERS

ZECHARIAH 11:4

“This is what the LORD my God says: ‘Pasture the flock doomed to slaughter.’”

There have been times in my ministry career that I have been asked to do something that I knew was doomed to fail. I had tried to give good counsel, but the person in charge had given strict orders. They wanted it done their way. They also knew the chances of success were slim to none, but their order still stood. As a subordinate, I had to follow through on their instructions.

Here in Zechariah 11, we are entering into a prophetic statement where Zechariah is represented as carrying out a future event. Many scholars believe here Zechariah is representative of Christ offering Himself to Israel, whom He knew would reject Him. This flock was doomed to slaughter, but they were to be fed anyway. Christ offered the children of Israel His kingdom first, remember.

APPLICATION

Psalm 44:22 says, “But for Your sake we are killed all day long; We are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” The difference between this verse and today’s verse in Zechariah is huge. In Zechariah, they are sheep for the slaughter because of their disobedience. In Psalm 44, we are sheep to be slaughtered for the Lord. We are His martyrs for the kingdom.

I don’t know about you, but I had rather be slaughtered for the Lord, not by the Lord. I willingly lay down my life for Him each and every day. As I travel around the globe, I am often asked if I fear for my life. I tell them I do not because the Lord holds me in His righteous right hand. My life is His to do with as He sees fit.

Do you have that peace today? Are you a sheep slaughtered because of your sins? Or are you a sheep slaughtered for the kingdom. One will take your peace away. The other gives you peace. If you have not repented of your sins and given your life to Jesus, do it today. Experience real peace.

Thank You, Father, for giving me that life ending peace. I am okay with facing my last day on this earth knowing my next day will be with You.

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