God had not spoken prophetically to Israel for nearly 400 years! Then he showed up in a big way fulfilling many prophetic announcements of his arrival. Was Israel ready? No, not really. It’s hard to realize you are living through fulfilled prophecy. Doing so tests all your preconceived ideas of what it would be like if you were to do so. But now, it’s not a thought process. It’s real. It tests the mettle of your beliefs. We find this awesome time of God becoming human in Matthew Chapter 1 and Luke Chapter 2.

His coming was on the heels of the Hasmonean Dynasty. Around 168 BCE, Antiochus IV Epiphanes of the Seleucid Empire of Persia suppressed the Jews greatly and went so far as to desecrate their temple in Jerusalem, and a priest by the name of Judas Maccabeus initiated a seven-year rebellion which gained momentum very quickly, known as the Maccabean Revolt. During this time, Jerusalem and the temple was regained with the temple being rededicated. This time became known as the celebration of Hanukkah where the amount of oil for the temple menorah was just enough to last a day, but it lasted for eight days giving time for more of the sacred oil to be prepared. After a seven-year battle, Judas was killed in battle and his brother, Jonathan, led the Jews to an eventual defeat of their enemies and was made not only High Priest, but king as well, initiating the Hasmonean Dynasty where the priesthood and kingship were merged for almost twenty-two years. Rivalry between sons for kingship brought Rome into their midst due to these siblings’ thirst for power, and Rome never left. Eventually, Rome took over the position of power and even controlled the power of the high priest by housing the ephod worn by the high priest within the Roman Tower of Antonia built adjacent to the temple.

Various religious sects emerged which diluted the truth of scripture even through the tradition of scripture became even stronger in their culture. While Scripture became a nationalistic symbol of the Jews, it became less about personal belief in God and more about the celebration of tradition surrounding those beliefs. Israel had lost their way both as a nation physically and spiritually. Now, God decided to step in and show the error of their interpretation of scripture as well as reveal to them how they had come to serve the Law rather than having the Law serve them and point them to God.

God revealed himself as El Hakavod, God of Glory. God revealed his glory to mankind through the birth of Jesus Christ just as the ancient prophets had foretold. He was Jehovah Ori, the Lord my Light. Jesus illuminated the way to the proper way to God. He was El Tamim, Perfect God. Jesus became the perfect sacrifice for mankind. He was El Nasah, God who Forgives. His action on the cross gives us forgiveness. He was Jehovah Tsidkenu, the Lord our Righteousness. We are declared righteous because of him taking our place. Christ, as our Messiah, restored what Satan took from Adam and gave us power to be the Children of God and joint heirs with Christ.

From this example presented today and all the examples presented in previous posts we have discussed, I think we can conclude that God is predictably unpredictable. He always showed up, and while he presented a side of himself that fit the occasion, he did not typically present himself as people expected or desired. Let’s do a quick recap:

Flood – God was decisive, appeared malicious at first glance, but we find him extremely gracious once we understand what was at stake and what Satan had actually done. We must see the why and not just the what.

Tower of Babel – Here God appears lenient—just the opposite of what we observed from him showing up at the Flood. Here, he let people continue but with new confinements. We see here that God wants the best for us.

Red Sea – God made the Israelites sweat it out to get them to realize their dependence on him. Our battle is not with those we can see but with those forces we can’t see.

Hezekiah – God even let others get destroyed to teach a valuable lesson to those who remained. God let Hezekiah help preserve his people but made him realize only through dependence on him would their victory be assured. Turning to God is not insurance but assurance. Through this example we see the powerful weapon prayer actually is for us.

Birth of Christ – Jesus did not come as the religious leaders had expected their Messiah to come and reveal himself. Jesus taught what they did not expect. He seemed practically anti-Scripture to them because they had applied their own desires to Scripture and not let Scripture formulate their ideas. We need to be on the same page as God and not vice versa.

Today – Do we have an expectation of how God will show up? Do we expect him to show up? Are we willing to be surprised and willing to change and adapt to how he decides to show up? We do not want to be like the Pharisees and miss the blessings that are in store for us.

Join me next time when we take these examples and apply them to our situation today. You may even be surprised at our findings. Please join me.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, destroyed Samaria in 722 BC and took the northern kingdom of Israel as captives to Assyria. Then, eight years later, Sennacherib attacked Judah, the southern kingdom of Israel, and laid siege to all fortified cities, including Jerusalem. We find this in 2Kings chapters 18 and 19.

Hezekiah accomplished several mighty engineering feats to try and prepare for the coming invasion by Assyria. One thing he did was connect the Gihon Spring just outside the city wall in the northern part of Jerusalem to the Pool of Siloam in the southern part of Jerusalem by digging an underground pathway through solid rock so the spring could flow within the city. Then, even if surrounded, the people would still have water and thereby preserve life longer for them to try and defend themselves. He also built another wall outside the current one so it would encompass the Gihon Spring, and he reinforced the terraces of the City of David (the southern portion of Jerusalem). He also made weapons and shields.

This achievement by Hezekiah is still observed today: called Hezekiah’s tunnel. It still has water running through it, and one can observe where the two teams of miners met. Hezekiah had one team dig from Siloam north and another dig from Gihon south. Today, there is a plaque where the two teams met. It is amazing how much Hezekiah was able to accomplish without modern technology.

Another play Hezekiah instituted was bribery. This was something kings would often do: either bribe the attacker with monetary gain, or bride another nation to help come defend them from their attacker. Hezekiah had all the silver stored in the temple treasury (300 talents – 11.25 tons, worth about $70.8 MM in today’s value) taken out for part of the bribe and then stripped gold off from the doors of the temple (30 talents – 1.125 tons, worth about $8.4 MM in today’s value) to bribe and ask Sennacherib to leave (for a total value in today’s money of $79.2MM). Yet, Sennacherib did not leave but fortified his efforts.

Hezekiah took the letter he received from Sennacherib and laid it before God at the temple and pled for Jerusalem’s salvation. He also had the prophet Isaiah beseech God as well. Hezekiah realized that all the preparation he had made, which was brilliant, significant, and formidable would not be enough. He realized only God himself could save them. God answered Hezekiah’s prayer in a big way.

That night, 185,000 of Sennacherib’s men were slain (2Ki 19:35). The remaining fled and retreated to Assyria. God accomplished in one night what Hezekiah could not accomplish in months and months of preparation. Because Hezekiah had the faith to depend upon God rather than in all the work he had done to prepare for defense, God intervened in a way Hezekiah could have never conceived.

It seems God always works in ways that are above and beyond our way of thinking. He had a way prepared through our dilemma even though our efforts haven’t been able to conceive of a possible solution. God revealed himself as being Jehovah Nissi, The Lord Our Banner or Victory. God destroyed the power of Sennacherib in one night. He only needed a short time to accomplish complete deliverance for Hezekiah and all of Jerusalem. God became Jehovah Maginenu, the Lord our Defense. He demonstrated that he was on their side and would defend them by his own might. In addition, he was Elohim Aizar, God our Helper. He had led them out of Egypt and proved he would be with them in all situations if they just trusted in him.

God was revealing to Hezekiah how victories are won. God wanted Hezekiah, and all of Jerusalem, to understand that their struggle was not necessarily with man but with powers in the spiritual realm which only God can defeat (Ep 6:12). Prayer was their weapon to overcome these forces, and prayer is still our weapon today to overcome these forces that battle against us.

Are you fighting your battles this way, or are you, like Hezekiah, doing your best to prepare for the fight only to find all your efforts are fruitless? You cannot win. Yet, with Christ, all things are possible (Pp 4:13). Use your most powerful weapon imaginable: go to God in prayer.

Next time, we’ll see God show up in even a bigger and more personable way. Until then. God bless!

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

We find this experience in Exodus chapter 14. Only a short time earlier, the Israelites had left Egypt after the ten plagues had devastated the economy and spirit of the Egyptian people. The Egyptians had asked them to leave and even gave the Israelites gold, silver, and precious stones to bribe them to leave and never return. I can image the Israelites were on an all-time high. Just a few days before, they were being oppressed beyond comprehension, and now, almost overnight, they were free! Free! I’m sure they felt like they had to pinch themselves to believe their experience was real. Yesterday, they had been slaves with nothing. Today, they were free with more wealth than they ever dreamed!

After the Israelites left, Pharaoh realized he had just let go the slave force the Egyptian empire had relied upon for centuries. How was the empire now going to function? Despite their hatred for the Israelites, he realized their economy still needed them. So, he and his army went after them. The Israelites were now squeezed between the Egyptian army behind them and the Red Sea in front of them. Mountains stood on their right and left. They literally had no place to go. Without God intervening, they would be destroyed, or recaptured and go into an even more severe servitude than they had lived through previously. What the Israelites did not know was that God had forced them into this place where they now had to rely totally on him.

Israel needed to understand God was the Faithful One despite the time they had been in slavery. God needed to show the Israelites they could depend on him for all things and that doubt was the path to destruction, but faith was a path to salvation. Freedom does not come freely but comes with responsibility. God had plans to make them into an ambassador nation to reveal himself to the world (Ex 19:6). Therefore, the Israelites needed to learn how to rely on the Lord for all their needs. He could not only supply their needs but do so in ways they could not ever fathom.

God revealed himself as Jehovah Yishi, the Lord my Salvation. God held the Egyptians at bay at the same time he made a way through the Red Sea for the Israelites. He did something for them that was so extraordinary they could never have conceived of such as act. Never would them being able to escape the Egyptians by walking through the Red Sea on dry ground even be a considered possibility. They were experiencing a God who could save my impossible means. In addition, he showed himself to be Jehovah Ozi, the Lord my Strength. He demonstrated that only he had the power to get the Israelites out of their situation. God had put them in an impossible situation that human actions, thoughts, and abilities were unable to do or conceive. God demonstrated he was Jehovah Mazud, the Lord my Fortress. He had led them out of Egypt and proved he would be with them in all situations if they just trusted in him. If they rested in him, their fortress, they would be protected and safe. God was creating in them a mindset that with him they were safe from all foes and could become a nation to be his influence in the world. Satan has tried to thwart this plan ever since.

Next time, we’ll see how God can accomplish the impossible in hardly any time at all. Give God a day, and one’s world can change drastically. I hope you join me.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

We find the story of the Tower of Babel in Genesis chapters 10 and 11. Nimrod rebelled against God and created a kingdom rather than having people spread throughout the world as God had commanded. It is believed that this biblical figure is the same historical figure as Gilgamesh. He and his wife created a new, separate, religion apart from God where they worshipped the stars, the Nephilim, and all the hybrid creatures these fallen angels had made. This was likely the start of all the mythologies of the various cultures we know about today and became the counterfeit to what God established. His wife, Semiramis (Summer-amat) became known as Queen of Heaven and her son as Tammuz, the sun god, as he was touted to be a resurrection of his father, Nimrod, who supposedly had manifested himself in the sun after his death and had impregnated Summer-amat via rays of the sun.

Satan again tried to establish his one-world government through Nimrod (Gilgamesh) and to unite the people through a polytheistic form of worship that was opposed to God. As counter to this, God confused their language so they would have to obey his requirement to spread throughout the world (Gn 11:9). Man had become arrogant and full of pride and wanted to do things their way rather than how God wanted things to be done.

God worked differently this time. He demonstrated himself to be Jehovah Royi, the Lord my Shepherd. He forced the people to separate into various languages and dialects so they would spread throughout the earth as he ordained. Shepherds sometimes must do something drastic to some of his sheep to force them to obey him and prevent the other sheep from following along with the sheep that is disobedient. This is what God had to do in this situation as well. He showed himself to be El Kanna, Jealous God, by limiting how one group of humans could force their will onto the entire population – at least for a time. He wanted their worship and praise and was making every opportunity for them to do that. God was also Jehovah Shalom, the Lord our Peace, as it would be quite some time for mankind to overcome their differences and be able to act globally again. God protected man from Satan’s influence and made Satan have to start over again on his plan. Satan was not as brazen this time as he was previously, but he was certainly not subtle either.

Tune in next time when we will see how God began to work with a group of people to portray his character to the world and how Satan did all he could to prevent that.

Until then, God bless.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

We find the story of the Biblical world-wide Flood in Genesis chapters 6-9, and we find the purpose for the Flood in chapter 6, verses 1-10. Certain of Satan’s angels somehow married human women and had children by them (Gn 6:2). The Bible itself is somewhat cryptic of what actually occurred. This could be because the story was well known at the time, so the writer of Genesis (who is believed to be Moses), may not have thought detail was important.

At first glance, this chapter in Genesis sounds as if God is vindictive in his actions, and some have touted this to be the case, saying God was vindictive in the Old Testament, but loving in the New Testament. Yet, that can’t be the case. God states he doesn’t change (Ml 3:6) and that he is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hb 13:8). Therefore, something else must be going on here. One thing to consider is how words are translated from Hebrew into English. For example, the word translated “regret” in this passage actually means “a big sigh” in Hebrew. Now, if you have children, I’m sure you’ve given a big sigh yourself many times. That didn’t mean you were willing to get rid of your children but were deeply wounded and hurt by some of their decisions. I think that is how God was feeling here. While, granted, his actions were drastic, it would seem something bigger was at play here. We need to understand the why and not just the what. There are extra-Biblical sources, like the Book of Enoch, while not Scripture, which can at least give us a good flavor of what may have been happening during this time of Earth’s history.

The Book of Enoch tells us there may have been 200 angels involved in appearing on Earth and marrying human women. Their offspring became giants, called Nephilim (Gen 6:4). This extra-biblical source also states the height of these Nephilim when fully grown may have been up to 300 cubits (450 ft). That’s quite high: half the height of the Empire State building in New York City! Now, that could be an exaggeration, but this information certainly helps us see the gravity of the situation. With their large size came an extremely ravenous appetite. Mankind could not produce enough to feed them, so they ate birds, beasts, reptiles, and fish to satiate their hunger – including the animals’ blood. This turned the beasts of the earth violent.

Scripture also states these Nephilim became mankind’s heroes, men of renown (Gn 6:4). This would seem to imply they fought with each other, and humans looked up to them for their bravery and skill. The animal kingdom was originally designed to be one of peace and harmony, but Satan had now made it violent between beast of the animal kingdom and between men as well. Bloodshed became common whereas it was not supposed to be that way because God had set the world up to be a peaceful, accommodating place for humans. Satan polluted the creation God had made and turned it violent.

In addition, it seems Satan tried to remake mankind in his own image and changed humans from the way God had made them. He was infusing angel DNA into mankind’s genome. It seems the human genome was being subverted. Apparently only Noah and his family were the only ones left pure in their genome. The word “blameless” used in this passage can also mean “pure.”

The Flood was a way for God to not only bring judgment to the guilty but as a way to preserve humankind as God had made them.

Prior to the Flood, God had revealed himself utilizing three names. The first of these was Elohim. He was the Eternal God, the Creator, the Three-in-One. He was the one who had made everything. He also presented himself as Jehovah (or Yahweh). He was Lord, the Self-Existing One. He was without beginning or end. Uncreated. Omnipresent. Omniscient. Then, he was also Jehovah Elohim, the Lord God. He is the one who keeps his covenants.

Now, God was revealing himself through the manifestation of his characteristics. While these may have been announced in Scripture later, in hindsight we can see these traits being exhibited here as well. He was Jehovah Shaphat, the Lord Our Judge. He did away with all that Satan had made wrong. He wiped from the face of the earth those who had yielded to Satan and let their human genome become contaminated to be more like Satan. Yet, we see God was also El Rakhum, the Merciful God. He protected Noah and his family from judgment and allowed mankind to continue as he designed them. In addition, he presented himself as El Khanun, the Gracious God. He gave the people on the earth 120 years to repent and get ready for what was coming. God could have healed their bodies if they had repented, but, sadly, they did not. He demonstrated himself to be Jehovah Boray, The Lord the Creator. During the Flood, God re-sculpted the Earth through his judgment. The water canopy surrounding the earth collapsed producing a deluge, the waters under the earth broke forth to help produce enough water to cover the face of the entire earth. In addition, the continent(s) were further divided, producing large seas and oceans with mountains and valleys. The earth Noah and his family exited onto from the ark was very different from the earth they left to enter the ark. God also presented himself as El Amen, the Faithful God. He provided a promise which he will never go back on. The promises given to Adam were now given to Noah, and God promised to not destroy the world again by a Flood. The rainbow was given as a symbol for this promise.

In Satan’s first attempt to overthrow God’s efforts and set up his kingdom on the world, we see he was very brazen in his attempt. God was equally brazen in his response to Satan’s efforts so that he could preserve what he had created and given to Adam with a promise for his race to continue and for God to redeem them back to himself. Going forward we’ll see how Satan became less and less brazen in his efforts. Each attempt seemed to become more subtle, but just as deadly.

Join me next time when we’ll see how God showed up at the Tower of Babel. Until then, God bless!

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens