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Well, I have finally gotten through every verse in the NIS translation on Righteousness.  Now, I turn to the New Testament, and am pleasantly (and only a little) surprised to find Jesus picking right up where our study left off.  However, let me first set the stage.
 1In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea 2and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” 3This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:
   ”A voice of one calling in the desert,
   ’Prepare the way for the Lord,
      make straight paths for him.’ ”
Matthew is quoting Isaiah 40:3, a prophecy that would usher in the ministry of Jesus’ 1st …

 1 “Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire,” says the LORD Almighty. “Not a root or a branch will be left to them. 2 But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall. 3 Then you will trample down the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I do these things,” says the LORD Almighty.

 …

2 But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, 4 and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the LORD, as in days gone by, as in former years.
After writing 2 solid chapters explaining to Judah why they are not in a good place, Malachi turns to a promise that God’s servant will come, and then …

I realize the following scriptures are specifically to Israel and Judah, but God Himself is unchanging, and the United States, with the largest Jewish and Christian population anywhere in the world, is in some ways an extenstion of them.  Therefore, I believe that the attitudes and concerns expressed by God in Malachi apply to us in this day as much as to Israel and Judah back in biblical times:
 2:17 You have wearied the LORD with your words.
      ”How have we wearied him?” you ask.
      By saying, “All who do evil are good in the eyes of the LORD, and he is pleased with them” or “Where is the God of justice?”
Today, as Americans, we make excuses for those who …

Again I turn to the topic of God’s earthly judgement of man, an aspect of mankind that many non-Christians are critical of, and many Christians ignore.  The reasons modern Christians ignore the idea of God judging men on earth is because our earthly rewards have appeared increasingly disconnected from a person’s faith.  Why is that?  Well first, let me assure you that God’s judgment of us is quite intact, and that he deals with us all in good time, showing judgement, mercy, and grace in appropriate measure.  However, we appear unaware, as unsaved philanthropists improve the conditions of the poor and prosper for it, unsaved murderers get let off on technicalities or get fed and sheltered for the rest of …

 1 Gather together, gather together,
       O shameful nation,

 2 before the appointed time arrives
       and that day sweeps on like chaff,
       before the fierce anger of the LORD comes upon you,
       before the day of the LORD’s wrath comes upon you.

 3 Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land,
       you who do what he commands.
       Seek righteousness, seek humility;
       perhaps you will be sheltered
       on the day of the LORD’s anger.
How does one seek righteousness?  This is such an interesting question to me when asked in this context.  Why?  Because nearly of the minor prophets were consumed with Israel’s redemption.  We’ve been seeing scriptures where this meant seeking out God’s justice, …

Last week, I wrote on Turning Justice into Poison, where I ended with…
I believe President Bush intended to glorify God in the wars he waged.  I know I did, and such belief was vilified as evil, oppressive, and imperialistic.  In the meantime, we freed Iraq from a ruthless dictator, planted a democracy in the Middle East by our brother Israel, and showed through the Surge a strategy that could win in Afghanistan.  And in private, President Bush prayed, and let Himself be a vessel for God’s purposes… or at least I think he did so in the beginning and in the end.  For the tween years, he did too much to placate contrarian …

This is a bit of a departure (again), but our bodies are God’s creation, so why not review the bill that purports to help us care for God’s creation, right?  Let me say right of the bat, I don’t want this health-care reform bill.  But, I know that people with my perspective are often fooled by the most extreme of us to believe falsehoods that simply make us look like fools to the people that I think are wrongfully touting this bill… and when we look fools to them, we’ve got no argument.  So, here we go.

The excerpts that I keep seeing over and over again are the exact same “experpts” from the bill.  You can see a complete of …

 9 Because I have sinned against him,
       I will bear the LORD’s wrath,
       until he pleads my case
       and establishes my right.
       He will bring me out into the light;
       I will see his righteousness.
I like the resolve and the perspective here.

Micah knows he will see God’s justice, because he is resolved to bear whatever God will have him, and he knows that God will see that and plead his case… and he’s not waiting for God to his righteousness.  No, he is waiting to see God’s.

 12 Do horses run on the rocky crags?
       Does one plow there with oxen?
       But you have turned justice into poison
       and the fruit of righteousness into bitterness-

 13 you who rejoice in the conquest of Lo Debar
       and say, “Did we not take Karnaim by our own strength?”
There are certain things a man just doesn’t do.  You don’t drive your car to work on the sidewalk.  You don’t build a tree house on a city light pole… and you don’t brag about your ability to war when God is the one who gave you strength, and you merely an instrument for His justice.

I’ve written a lot about the use of war to achieve justice …