Category Archives: Rescue

Affliction, Bible, Choices, Consequences, Fire, Gospel, Praise, Rescue, Scripture

A BURNING LOG

ZECHARIAH 3:2

“And the LORD said to Satan, ‘The LORD rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a log snatched from the fire?’”

I love to go camping, even though I don’t do it a lot. I really like primitive camping when all you have is a tent, a campfire and some easy to cook food. One of the best things to me about camping is the campfire. I love the smell of wood burning. I love the flicker of the flames at night. I love the sound of the wood crackling. What happens if you pull one of the logs out of the fire? It will eventually stop burning although it will have the obvious signs of having been burned.

The LORD is rebuking Satan in today’s verse for bringing accusations against Joshua, the high priest who was mentioned in verse 1 of chapter 3. When the Lord says, “Is this not a log snatched from the fire,” He is saying to Satan, “Can’t you see the signs of suffering on him for his sins?” Remember, Israel had only recently returned from exile because of their sins. They were still wearing signs of their struggle.

APPLICATION

There are so many applications for us in this verse. I will try to stick to just one. We are all wearing the scars of our sinful flesh. Some of us made choices before salvation that caused actual physical scars. Some of our sins caused long-lasting emotional scars. We are like that log that has been snatched from the fire. God has taken us out of that fire, but we are still singed.

The beautiful thing about salvation is God can take you right where you are and cleanse you. Your sins are washed away. Eventually that singed smell will go away. Through the healing power of God, you can be “washed whiter than snow.” Listen to Isaiah in Isaiah 2:18. “‘Come now, and let us debate your case,’ Says the LORD, ‘Though your sins are as scarlet, they shall become as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, they shall be like wool.’”

I know I have some leftover effects from my “Before Christ” days. They are a reminder of the grace of God in my life. I stand amazed every day that He would save a wretch like me. I bet you do too. But praise be to God, we are washed. We are cleansed. We have been set free.

Are you washed in the blood, in the soul-cleansing blood of the Lamb.

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Affliction, Belief, Bible, Covenant, God's Will, Judgment, Rescue, Scripture, Suffering

SCATTERING

ZECHARIAH 1:19

“So I said to the angel who was speaking with me, ‘What are these?’ And he said to me, ‘These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.’” 

I love Waffle House, a restaurant chain here in the U.S. Their specialty is breakfast. Their staff have a certain lingo they use to describe the orders that are called out loud from the waiter(ess) to the cook who you can see at the grill. One particular word they use is “scattered,” which means to spread the hash browns on the grill. I love mine scattered and smothered (with onions), “covered” (with cheese), “chunked” (with diced ham), “diced” (with diced tomatoes), “peppered” (with jalapeño peppers), and “topped” (with chili). Where is my nearest Waffle House?

The angel tells Zechariah in today’s verse that the horns “have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.” They had been spread out due to these nation’s conquest of them. Of course, these nations had been the “hand of God,” delivering His judgment. After all the scattering, God is bringing them back. It’s as if the Lord wants to make sure Zechariah and the people don’t forget.

APPLICATION

You may feel “scattered” today. You may believe God has forgotten you and left you in exile. That is not true. God has a unique plan for your life, unlike any other. He will not leave you destitute and forgotten. Jesus said this concerning the last days. “‘And then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the end of the earth to the end of heaven.’”

Do you think He has forgotten you? No way. That is just a lie from the pit of hell. The devil loves to whisper those words to get us to doubt who we are in Christ. Philippians 2:15 tells us this about who we are. “…so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world,…”

You and I are children of the Holy God. He may scatter us at times on the grill of life, but He will gather us back in. He will not allow His children to go unguarded and unprotected. So why does God allow the wicked to prosper and me to suffer? Aww, the question of the ages. Trust! He is there. Just like that short order cook at the Waffle House, He is always listening. And His preparation is always perfect.

On the days I feel I am scattered, gather me in, Lord.

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Battles, Bible, Defense, Husbands, Jealousy, Love, Rescue, Scripture

A JEALOUS GOD

ZECHARIAH 1:14

“So the angel who was speaking with me said to me, ‘Proclaim, saying, This is what the LORD of armies says: “I am exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem and Zion.”’” 

Jealousy is often portrayed as a bad thing. Sure, jealousy can make us do stupid things. It can lead us to lash out at others. But I want you to know that I am jealous – for my wife. Just let some other man look at her the wrong way. My jealousy erupts to protect and defend her. My love for her will allow nothing else. Proverbs 6:34 warns me though against any extreme reaction. “For the woman’s jealous husband will be furious, and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge.”

God is saying to the people through the angel and then through Zechariah that He is a jealous God. Matthew Poole says this about verse 14. “I have been jealous against, but now am jealous for Jerusalem; my love is now heightened to a very high degree of compassion for my people, and of indignation against her enemies and oppressors.”

APPLICATION

That’s how God feels about you now. He is a jealous God. He loves you with an everlasting love. He will rise up against your enemies to defend you. He will guard and protect you. You belong to Him, and nothing can change that. Once you have given your life to Jesus, that covenant is sealed. You may be attacked. You may suffer at times. But God is there to bring you through.

What are you jealous about? You have no right to be. Acts 7:9 shows us a negative result of jealousy. “‘The patriarchs became jealous of Joseph and sold him into Egypt. Yet God was with him,’” You know the story of Joseph. He was sold as a slave, falsely accused by his master’s wife, sent to prison, forgotten about for a couple of years and then finally put into power by Pharoah.

You are probably thinking you are quite sure about that kind of rescue. Well, honestly, I would prefer a different route to freedom also. But I trust my God, who loves me jealously, to have my back. I may not approve of His methods, but I trust His purpose. Do you? Will you come all this jealous God to love you for eternity? He is waiting for your response.

Lord, Your jealousy over me is not sinful. It is pure and holy.

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Abiding, Bible, Redemption, Remnant, Rescue, Scripture, Trust

THE NAME OF THE LORD

ZEPHANIAH 3:12

“‘But I will leave among you a humble and lowly people, and they will take refuge in the name of the LORD.’”

I have been guilty in the past of running to the wrong place for my refuge. Food can be a refuge for some people. Eating those comfort foods may feel good at the time, but that can have unhealthy results. Others turn to the bottle to drown out their worries. And still others run to family or friends who inevitably let them down.

In Zephaniah 3:12 we see the Lord telling the people what He is going to do with them. He is going to leave a remnant. In fact, the Hebrew word for “leave” means remain or remnant. But who is He going to leave in the country? Only the poor and lowly, those without land or money, the outcast of society. They will be the remnant. But those will turn to Him. They will call on “the name of the LORD.”

APPLICATION

To whom do you call when you are in need? I pray it is the Lord. If you are a believer, then you know that He can be trusted with your cares. 1 Peter 5:7 tells us to “cast all our anxiety on Him for He cares about you.” Don’t you believe that? What does He have to do to prove it to you? He did send His Son, Jesus, to rescue you for eternity.

You have probably heard it said that if you can trust God with your eternity, you can surely trust Him with your today. That is so true. I have had to learn that over and over and over. You would think it would have sunk in the first time. Don’t judge me, though. You are probably the same. We just struggle with trust, don’t we?

There are so many verses on trust in the Bible. Just look at Psalm 115:9-11. “9 Israel, trust in the LORD; He is their help and their shield. 10 House of Aaron, trust in the LORD; He is their help and their shield. 11 You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD; He is their help and their shield.” Can you do that today? Trust in His name, the name that is above all names, Jesus.

I trust in You, O Lord, my rock and my salvation. I will take refuge in You.

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Accountability, Bible, Flesh, Judgment, Rescue, Scripture, Surrender, Trials, Wickedness

SODOM AND GOMORRAH

ZEPHANIAH 2:9

“‘Therefore, as I live,’ declares the LORD of armies, the God of Israel, ‘Moab will assuredly be like Sodom, and the sons of Ammon like Gomorrah—ground overgrown with weeds and full of salt mines, and a permanent desolation. The remnant of My people will plunder them, and the remainder of My nation will inherit them.’”

Parts of our world are just plain wicked. Sex trade, drugs and prostitution are staples of these places. The darkness that exists can almost be felt on your skin. You can see the lostness in the faces of those who live there. They live with no hope. No, they don’t live. They simply exist. There is no life in them – only death.

When the Lord through Zephaniah compares Moab and Ammon to Sodom and Gomorrah, the audience knew exactly what he was talking about. The story of those cities is told in Genesis 19. Here are a couple of those verses. “24 Then the LORD rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah from the LORD out of heaven, 25 and He overthrew those cities, and all the surrounding area, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.”

APPLICATION

2 Peter 2:4-10a gives us a great picture of God’s judgment and also His mercy. For the sake of space, I won’t include all of those verses here. You should take a moment and look that passage up. But the last two verses tell us what the Lord will do.

“9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from a trial, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, 10 and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt passion, and despise authority.”

We see the rescue and the judgment. God is capable of both. He rescued Lot and his family from Sodom and Gomorrah, but He also judged the wicked in those cities. The same holds true today. God will rescue the godly. If you are living for Him and striving to live godly, God will rescue You in His perfect timing. But if you are living to please the flesh, then….

I am thankful for His Holy Spirit Who guides me each and every day. He warns me of evil. He points out those things that can lead me astray. Now, I still have to make that decision to follow His lead. He won’t force me. But I have learned to trust Him. Have you? Have you learned to lean on the Lord during those times of testing. He is there.

O Lord, it does break my heart to see those who are wandering in darkness. Help me shine the light of Christ on them.

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Abiding, Affliction, Bible, Deliverance, God's Will, Oppression, Rescue, Scripture

LIVING IN A BOWL

ZEPHANIAH 1:11

“‘Wail, you inhabitants of the Mortar, because all the people of Canaan will be destroyed; all who weigh out silver will be eliminated.’”

The city where I live, Chattanooga, is in a bowl. We sit in this valley fringed by mountains which gives our geographic area a bowl-like appearance. Pollen settles here and makes breathing hard for those with allergies. We do get protected from some storms because of our geography, but at other times, if the weather comes from a southwesterly direction, we can get hit hard.

That is the case here in Zephaniah 1:11. The word “Mortar” is actually referring to the geographical location the people find themselves in. They are trapped in a bowl. Much like drugs are crushed by a pestle inside a mortar, their enemies would crush them in their valley, in their bowl. Judgment is sure.

APPLICATION

You may feel like you are being crushed by life’s circumstances. I know sometimes the pressures of life can be horrible. It seems you are being hit from every side. Can I put all that in perspective for you? Philippians 2:5-8 can do that. “5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, as He already existed in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself by taking the form of a bond-servant and being born in the likeness of men. 8 And but being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death: death on a cross.”

Sure, we suffer hardship. But compared to what Jesus has done for us, it is nothing. The sins of the world were on His shoulders. Can we even imagine the pressure He was feeling? And remember, He had not done anything wrong. He had never sinned. Can we say that?

I am thankful for the opportunities He gives me to trust Him. Even when I am in that bowl of affliction and there seems to be no way of escape, He is there. He will sustain me. He will lift up my head. He will deliver me. Praise be to Him.

Yes, Lord, You are the lifter of my head. To You I will look for my deliverance during each trial and hardship.

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Bible, Covenant, Promises, Protection, Relationships, Rescue, Scripture, Security, Strength

MY STRENGTH

HABAKKUK 3:19

“The Lord GOD is my strength, and He has made my feet like deer’s feet, and has me walk on my high places. For the choir director, on my stringed instruments.”

Here we are at the last verse of Habakkuk. This verse is one of the most quoted in the book. If you missed the beginning of the look at Habakkuk, go back to the beginning of my blogs on this awesome book. They began on November 2. That means we have spent 56 days looking at each verse of this wonderful message to us.

Habakkuk closes his message with praise to God. He confesses publicly that the Lord God is his strength. He does not place his trust in the armies of Israel or on some foreign power. He knows God is the only source of strength. He brings in the image of the deer climbing up effortlessly to the high places. He says God does the same for him. And that applies to us as well.

When we are at our lowest, the Lord picks us up. Paul tells us in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” When we rely on Him, He can lift us up to the high places. He does it effortlessly. It is no strain for Him, but for us, it’s agony.

APPLICATION

My little granddaughter asked me the other day to throw her high. Now, she’s approaching five years old. When she was a toddler, this was an easy ask. I could throw her multiple times to her glee. But now…that’s not so easy. It is hard for me to do that more than twice. Aren’t you grateful that God does not tire of lifting us up. No matter how many times we fall, we can turn to Him and say, “Father, lift me,” and He does.

I have had to call on Him several times in my life. There have been moments when I did not think I could carry on. That weakness may have been emotional, physical or spiritual. Each time He came to my aid. Each time He “made my feet like deer’s feet and has me walk on my high places.” He will do the same for you.

I want to climb to the highest heights, Father. Lift me up to be with You.

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Abiding, Belief, Bible, Enemies, God's Will, Rescue, Salvation, Scripture, Trust

WAVE RIDER

HABAKKUK 3:15

“You trampled on the sea with Your horses, on the foam of many waters.”

I love to watch the waves as they crest and then break on the beach. The power in each wave is incredible. I have never personally seen twenty or thirty foot waves, but I know people who have. They tell me they are not only powerful but are also terrifying and destructive. Can’t you just picture that?

Habakkuk paints a portrait in today’s verse of God riding the waves, leading the charge against the enemy. Albert Barnes quotes a couple of other Old Testament verses that give the same picture. Isaiah 63:13 says, “who led them in the depths;” and Zechariah 10:11 reads, “And He shall pass through the sea.” Barnes says, “God was literally there.”

APPLICATION

God is still out front defending us. He is riding the waves in our defense. He will drown our enemies the same way He drowned Pharoah’s army in the Red Sea. What seemed to be an obstacle for the Hebrew children became their way of escape and their source of salvation.

We don’t understand the ways of God. We certainly don’t understand them when we are going through hard times or if our very lives seem to be crumbling. But God is at work, in His time. His timing is always perfect. He is never late. When the time is right, He will ride that wave and wash away our enemies.

I don’t begin to say I understand that. I’ve tried and failed. I have come to the conclusion that I have to just trust Him. I know that sounds too spiritual. But it is the truth. We must come to the point that we simply trust Him who has saved us eternally to save us temporally also. If it His will to rescue us here on earth, praise His name. But if He should choose to rescue us by bringing us home eternally, then so be it. It’s really a win-win now, isn’t it?

Lord, I will watch as You ride the waves in my defense and will praise You if You carry me home.

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Accountability, Belief, Bible, Choices, Christ's Return, Darkness, Eternity, Kingdom, Kings, Majesty, Rescue, Salvation, Scripture

CHARIOTS OF SALVATION

HABAKKUK 3:8

“Did the LORD rage against the rivers, or was Your anger against the rivers, or was Your rage against the sea, that You rode on Your horses, on Your chariots of salvation?”

All throughout Scripture we see imagery of God with water. In creation, He separated the waters above and the waters below. Then He caused land to appear which further separated the waters on earth. We see Him part the Red Sea and the Jordan River. We see Him gush forth waters from a rock in the wilderness. Water and God have a presence in the Bible that cannot be ignored.

So, it is no wonder that Habakkuk uses that same imagery in his book. But we see something here that is unique. We see the “chariots of salvation.” I can just picture what Habakkuk is describing. God swoops down and rescues His people as if He is riding a chariot. The waters of the Red Sea parting and the flow of Jordan walled up reflect the presence of God moving through and saving His people.

APPLICATION

God is still rescuing us. This is done now through His Son, Jesus Christ. Christ didn’t ride through Israel on a chariot. No, He walked and once rode a donkey’s colt. He didn’t come as a ruling king, but rather as a lowly baby in a manger. He lived in Nazareth, the lowliest of the villages in Galilee.

But one day He will return as Judge and King. He will come to reign supremely. And we will reign with Him as joint heirs of His kingdom. Won’t that be a glorious day? But you first have to acknowledge Him as Lord and Savior. Even though you don’t see a chariot of salvation, you can be assured that He reigns.

As we come closer to Christmas day and prepare to celebrate, don’t forget the saving power of God is as strong today as it ever was. God is still rescuing us from a dark and somber world. He wants us to rejoice with Him that His Son paid the ultimate price. He has truly ridden that chariot of salvation for us.

Open my eyes that I may see Your salvation to the world more clearly. Use me to reach out to those who need to hear.

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Advice, Bible, Debt, Payment, Rescue, Scripture, Sin

DECEIT OF DEBTS

HABAKKUK 2:6

“‘Will all of these not take up a song of ridicule against him, even a saying and insinuations against him and say, “Woe to him who increases what is not his—for how long—and makes himself rich with debts!”’”

I really hate debt of any kind. I know it is hard to avoid it, especially when you are buying a home. Most people don’t have that much cash. I am trying to pay off my home as quickly as I can. Debt deceives you into thinking you have more than you really do.

God speaks the first of five “Woes” here. The Hebrew word recorded by Habakkuk for “debts” is only used right here in all the Bible. Some translations translate it as “thick-clay.” It is weighty. It slows you down. Debts are one thing God warns about here.

APPLICATION

Don’t go and say Carl said all debt is bad. I am just saying we need to be careful. Proverbs 22:7 says, “The rich rule over the poor and the borrower is slave to the lender.” That’s pretty plain, isn’t it? Sometimes we cannot avoid debt. Medical bills pile up after a lengthy illness. As I mentioned earlier, buying a home usually requires debt. Just be careful.

But aren’t you thankful that the one debt that we could never repay was paid for by Jesus. You may have heard the saying, “I owed a debt I could not pay, and He paid a debt He did not owe.” Jesus rescued us from a certain damnation. We could never pay the debt of sin which was on our life.

I am debt free spiritually. I owe nothing to the wrath of God. He is satisfied with the shed blood of His precious Son. There are so many around us who are drowning in debt spiritually. They have no hope. No banker on earth can satisfy that debt – only Jesus. Let’s share with them God’s plan for debt relief.

Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain. He washed it white as snow.

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