Skip to main content

Maher-shalal-hash-baz

Destruction is immanent. What a great name! I think I'm going to change my name. You can call be "Hash" for short... ;-)

So who cares about the political warnings given to ignorant and unreceptive leaders 3000 years ago? Are they of any relevance to us today? Why bother studying them?

Is destruction any less immanent now than it was for Jerusalem?

Are we not facing the same kinds of concerns and issues today that they faced then?

Are there lessons that can be learned from the situation?

The answer seems to lie in the fact that all of these things are cyclical - the names change, and the scale of operations changes, but the lessons and the applicability remains the same. We are a people who tend to want to trust each other more than we want to trust God. Which is ironic, because God is really the only one worthy of our complete trust. But it's true - Stalin trusted Hitler, Chamberlain trusted Hitler, the Cambodians trusted Pol Pot, etc, etc, etc. The point of all of these lessons seems to be trust God and He will inspire you, enable you, and even fight your battles for you.

It is as true for nations as it is for families and individuals.

It is not without reason that Christ is called by Isaiah the Prince of Peace.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Baptism

Yesterday Ellie was baptized. She turned eight on January 27, 2020, and she made the decision to be baptized. I want to tell you a little bit about Ellie. I have never met a child that is quite like Ellie. She is full of life and fire and joy and light. She knows no fear and is infectious in her passion for life and for goodness and for FUN!!! Above all things, she seeks the joy and fun in life. She is also wickedly clever and funny, she’s a delight to be around and makes everyone feel so good. Because she is happy, she wants everyone else to be happy. I first met sweet Elizabeth in 2018, and on the day I met her she was not feeling well. We decided that a movie would be a fun thing for a sick little girl, so I brought one of my favorites to share with her - The Neverending Story. When I got to the house, I picked her right up. It had been a very long time since I was able to pick up a girl, and she snuggled right into my arms. Her poor sick body was warm, but I was more impressed ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ephesus

Paul got around. Ephesus is right on the Aegean Sea, on the coast of present-day Turkey. Yesterday he was in Galatia, which was much more towards the middle of Turkey. And when he actually wrote these letters, he was in Rome... So the man could travel. He probably walked. Today's item of interest comes from chapter one in Ephesians. Verses 18 and 19 are particularly interesting: 18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, 19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power This is not the first time Paul talks about an inheritance. In Galatians he talks about the inheritance that comes of being part of the Abrahamic Covenant. He notes that we are joint-heirs through and with Christ. In Ephesians, he uses the word "adoption" - that we are adopted as the Children of Jesus Chris...
7 comments
Read more

Lucky!

So Tomorrow is Amie's birthday. The 12 th is Andy's. The 14 th is Alex's. And the 26 th is mom's. Happy birthday everyone. I recently found that a member of our ward has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer has a survivability rate of less than 5% and you never, ever kick it, even if you live. Once diagnosed, people are expected to live about six months. My wife and I were talking about this wonderful woman. There are very few (too few) people in this world who shine. Literally. This sister shines with a light that is perceptible and discernible . The world will literally be a darker place without her in it. Life is short, folks. Too short for hard feelings, too short for pain and misunderstanding. I love you all so much. Sorry this one is such a downer... I don't mean to be lugubrious on your birthdays... I consider myself lucky to be your brother. You have and continue to bless me and my family in many ways, for which I will be eternally gra...
4 comments
Read more