Habakkuk

 

 I have noted through my study in history that, in every generation, God raises a people, a man or woman who will stand in the gap and defend the truth no matter how tough it may be. 

The book of Habakkuk echoes the same. The book of Habakkuk was written around 600 BC, a time when the kingdom of Judah had reached its zenith in evil and God was about to pour his wrath on them. 

During the time, things were messy. Violence was rampant, abductions, enslaving, murder, robbery, sexual immorality and all manner of evil were the order of the day. Sounds like the current situation all over? 

Habakkuk takes all these issues to God in prayers, he asks God to unmute his ears and listen to his cries about the situation on the ground. 

In verse five of the first chapter God answers Habakkuk. He tells him that he, God, was going to send the Babylonians, who were a powerful nation and very evil, to punish the Israelites. 

At that time Babylon was staging herself as the global super power, hence any nation that stood on her path to glory was trampled to dust. In fact one of the last kings of Judah, had his eyes gorged out, was hooked and dragged to Babylon where he died.

God’s answer to Habakkuk makes him mad. He is shocked that a holy God would send a very evil nation, which did not know or respect God to punish the chosen people of God. This makes me wonder whether dictators and all evil leaders are sent by God to punish an evil nation, am still wondering. 

In chapter two God answers Habakkuk again and tells him to wait and see. That the conquering nation would later become too puffed up with pride leading to her utter destruction. 

God also tells Habakkuk that during that tough time, the just would live by faith, that he would not abandon the righteous, which is evident in the lives of Daniel, Meshach and Abednego, who lived around that period. 

In the same answer God tells Habakkuk in 2:14 “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters covers the sea.” That I believe is God’s main agenda, that he would be glorified in all the earth. Tough times may come but his agenda is supreme, that he would be glorified in all nations’ tribes and tongues. 

In the final chapter, Habakkuk realizes that God is sovereign over all the earth and that he is in control hence he surrenders the situation to God. Habakkuk 3:17-18 “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and there be no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will be joyful in God my savior.” 

~~>Dunmo

I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST!

For I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13. 

 I have been going through a rough patch in life and recently someone, out of good will, encouragement and probably compassion sent me a motivational quote about channeling my thoughts to becoming a prosperous and wealthy person because I have that ability, the support text they used is the above quoted verse. 

As I looked the verse in the scriptures I realized that it’s a verse quoted out of context, hence it prompted me to read the entire letter in order to get the context and probably what the verse means and meant to the first recipients and it’s been an interesting study. Let me share with you what I found out about the text. 

First, this letter was written by Paul in AD 62 while imprisoned in Rome under Nero awaiting his execution. He was writing to a church that he helped found some years earlier while on his missionary journeys. In one of his missionary journeys Paul was summoned by a man through a dream to go to Macedonia to help them and that’s exactly what he did. When he reached Philippi, which was the capital city of Macedonia he was welcomed and accommodated by wealthy woman who is said to be a worshipper of God. Afterwards Paul engaged the city through the gospel but it turned chaotic after he cast out a divination demon in a certain slave girl which got him and Silas, his travel companion, to be scourged and imprisoned for a night but was miraculously released from the prison in the middle of the night. Acts 16. 

Paul and Silas left a few disciples when they left, years later the church has grown and the whole province of Macedonia has some representation of the church. It is this church that he is now addressing. It is also worthwhile to note that during this time some persecution to the church had begun and Christianity was heading to very difficult and uncertain times in the Roman Empire. There were many accusations leveled at the church and Christians in general and most were living in fear. 

Paul expresses his delight and encouragement about the report of the growth of the church over the years. He doesn’t hold any grudge about what had happened to him while in the city years earlier, over the years he had learned to focus on the main goal. He encourages the church to be bold in suffering for the gospel. Phil 1:28-30. 

In chapter two of the letter, Paul advocates for humility and care for each other in the church. Here he goes further to show how Christ through humility left all the comfort he had in heaven and took the form of a slave in his human body because he cared for the church. 

In chapter three he continues to encourage them to be bold in sharing the gospel and to always rejoice in all circumstances. It’s like Paul knew that these guys were going through a hard time and they needed encouragement. I believe that encouragement worked its way, especially coming from someone who was then in prison for the sake of the gospel.

In chapter four Paul encourages the church to always submit all their needs to God and not to worry but be joyful always. He also encourages the church to give towards the spreading of the gospel. Here he also expresses his gratitude to the few who supported him financially during his ministry. While on this point he explains that the reason he mentions that is not because he’s requesting them to send money but rather that through his journey with Christ, he had learned to be content in all circumstances. That he could go without food rejoicing and also enjoy delicacies rejoicing, that he could be penniless and still share the gospel joyfully and also have millions in the bank and yet not lose focus of the main thing which is sharing the gospel…therefore he says “For I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength.” Here I believe that Paul is speaking about the discipline that he had attained through his walk with Christ that had enabled him to stay focused on the main goal which is to share the gospel no matter the circumstances. 

May Christ help us stay focused on the main goal no matter the situation. 

Dunmo  

From the scratch

 

From scratch it began,

Yet the scars from the scratches reveal..

That he used his hands to scratch,

Maybe to reveal, a hidden coin, penny or pain.

A scar, was once told..

Began with an itch..

The itch insisted for a scratch and..

Boom! A scar arrived.

A scar is a reminder that..

We all itch..

But every itch doesn't deserve a scratch,

Because some scratching birth scars.

Oh M.O.G, which itch will you scratch?

Where will you not scratch?

Which itch doesn't lead to a scar?

Can you itch without scratching?

I look up to Him who..

Itched with desires of grand and grandiosity,

Who was offered His own Kingdom by the villain

Only if, He could bow to the villain.

I look up to the one who..

Had the power to summon heavenly legions,

Yet he chose to drink from the bitter cup,,

I look up to Jesus, He overcame the itches, yet He bears our scars.

~~>> Dunmo

The History of the Northern Kingdom of Israel 931 BC-720 BC (The 10 Lost Tribes of Israel)

 The history of the Northern Kingdom of Israel is a history shrouded with a sad reality of how wicked and bent towards evil the human heart is. It’s a history that portrays how power and its allurements corrupts the human heart, hence it’s a sound warning for those who desire to possess power.

My focus in this article will be the Northern Kingdom of Israel hence I will majorly mention the kings of the North. This is after Solomon’s reign had ended and the kingdom was split into two, the Northern Kingdom of Israel under Jeroboam son of Nebat and the Southern Kingdom of Judah under the lineage of David starting with Rehoboam son of Solomon.

The man Solomon was handed over a very strong kingdom. United by his father David, who was a man after God’s own heart¹. In 1 Kings 11, the Bible gives a summary of Solomon’s failure, which was steered by his love for women, and especially women that God had warned Israel not to intermarry with.  These women drove Solomon’s heart away from God and he ended up serving foreign gods in his old age and as a result God divided the United Kingdom of Israel into two.

Meaning of the Sabbath

Of all Biblical subjects, the Sabbath is one of the most misunderstood. It is a subject whose meaning has evaded many people and led to the practice of obsolete rituals in Christianity. I do not claim to be an authority on this subject but rather a student of the same. Hence I welcome you to this amazing journey of discovery.

The Sabbath was initially instituted by God when he rested after completing his work of creation. He sanctified the day and blessed it (Gen 2:2-3).

We encounter the subject of the Sabbath again when the Israelites are on their way to Canaan. Here God sets it as one of the Ten Commandments, a day to be remembered. In it God commands complete cessation from physical work. It was to be observed by every member of the community of Israel (Exodus 20:8-11).

Footprints

Of eld is told 

The story of a walker. 

A stealth walker 

Whose silent walk 

Dust never raised 

Leaf never rattled 

Life never trod 

Yet on these 

Historical rocky, 

Concrete sealed, 

Ironclad roads 

Traversed by the walker 

Two thousand summers past 

Proudly protrudes 

His embossed footprints 

Silent prints that echo 

The walker’s travail 

They tell of his sojourn 

From alien lands 

Far and beyond 

The grip of mortals’ 'maginations 

They tell of his pain

They tell of ………….  His empty tomb

They tell of his silent 

Thunderous stomping 

That engraved 

His footprints 

On these, 

Concrete 

Rocky 

Ironclad 

Stony 

Hearts. 

They tell of ............. my story

~~>Dunmo

The Art Of War

War is an art

Won first in the heart

A performance to master

Cue taken from the ringmaster

Wielding the blade of surrender

Braced to slay the contender

Armored with humility

To thwart the foes's hostility

To win this war

Your foes fearlessly gore

With kindness battered

Till friendship is hammered

In this art of war

Be the mighty Thor

Masterfully brandish your sword

All your enemies floored

~~> Dunmo

The Name above All Other Names

The English dictionary defines a name as “a word or set of words by which a person or thing is known, addressed or referred to”. It is common sense that the first thing we get acquainted with in a person that we are new to, is their name. This is because, the name of a person gives a brief history of the bearer of the name. Through the name of a person, we can know their religion, tribe or nationality, ancestry and more. Names are very significant in the society. It is impossible for one to be a member of a human society without a name.

The Rise and Fall of Samson

Samson was born when judges ruled Israel. This was before the era of Kings. Judges were men or women who ministered justice to the people. They attained their leadership position due to their wisdom or courage in difficult times.

Samson’s father’s name was Manoah. His mother’s name is not mentioned. According to the scriptures, Manoah’s wife was barren. An angel of God appeared to her and informed her that God had chosen her for the task of delivering a child who would later be a judge over Israel which at that time was a colony of Philistine.

During that time, there was suffering in Israel due to the oppression caused by their masters, the Philistines, which is the reason why God decided to raise Samson as a judge through whom Israel would be delivered from their yoke of slavery.

Meaning of the Cross

Without doubt the cross is the most revered symbol of Christianity. It has attracted both positive and negative sentiments across all cultures and societies. If one has to understand Christianity, he or she should understand the significance or the meaning of the cross. Whether you are a follower of Jesus or not, you can never escape the subject of the cross. The cross is the core of the Christian faith. If you and I are to grow in the love of God, which is the first commandment, then we should come to the full knowledge of the cross.

The significance of the Blood of Jesus

Even though the function of blood and how it circulates in the human body was discovered in 1615 by William Harvey, yet across the world, every nation has had mysteries attached to blood from ancient times. At least every culture has some kind of rite or ritual associated with blood, some of which are practiced to date.

There are those who argue that the Biblical aspect of the blood was borrowed from ancient Near East Semitic tribes, but that notion does not have a strong basis. The Bible being the most reliable and accurate ancient source of history₁, seems to have set in motion the universal reverential fear which emanates from the shedding of blood (Gen 4:10). From here also stems the universal dignity for human life.

The Meaning of Death

If there is anything that you and I are certain of, it is that at some point we will die. Whether we die of Corona virus infection, accident, war or of old age as most of us would desire, we certainly will die. As someone jested, “You will not come out of life alive”. Death is the most certain thing in this planet and as a result, I strongly suggest that you keep it in the front of your mind, because I know that we all have it in the back of our minds. My idea of keeping it in mind is not so that you have an abnormal fantasy or obsession about death or live in fear of dying, no, that will lead to depression. What I want you to take time and think about is, if you die, will that be the end of you? Will your death change who God is? Will your death alter the truth about who God is?