Daniel, He Purposed in His Heart

Daniel is a perfect example of someone who determines to walk with God and keeps on that lane throughout. There is no mention of any failure in the character and walk with God in Daniel which I find a bit strange because most of the great men and women who God used had one or few issues that waylaid them, but for Daniel all we see is excellence portrayed by a godly character. This flawless portrayal of Daniel at times makes it hard for many people to relate with him but a careful study of the book shows that the focal point is not Daniel’s character or details of his life and how he conducted his life but rather the sovereignty of God over all nations.

Jonah, The Prophet who fled from the Call

When we think of Jonah, what comes to mind is a rebellious and disobedient prophet who rather than going towards the direction ordered by God, chose to march to the opposite direction. Have you ever wondered why Jonah fled the call? What might have gone through his mind when he made that fateful decision?

Jonah prophesied in a time when the Assyrians were the super power of the then known world. They were a cruel nation to any opposing kingdom. They are accredited for the invention of a form of torture to death whereby one was skinned alive and left to die.

Moses, The Most Humble Man

Through Moses we see the redemptive plan of God. Through this man we see Jesus Christ, for Christ claims that Moses wrote of Him John 5:46, Deut 18:15 and Deut 18:18, so who was Moses?

Moses was born a short while after Egypt in order to curb the growth of the Jews in the land, decided that all male Hebrew babies born should be killed. He was born when all survival odds were against him. Seems like the enemy had caught wind of the arrival of a deliverer and just like in the time of Christ, he chose to exterminate all male children. Moses like Christ, escaped the dragnet of the enemy and lived to accomplish what he was born to.

Esther, If I Die I Die

She is touted for her beauty in the old testament. Her beauty captivated the love of the king, one with the king redefined her destiny.

Not only was Esther obedient to her uncle, she had a noble character. Her beauty was accompanied by sound mind and good judgement, these made her a star, for that is what her name means.

Jacob ,The Man Who Wrestled With God

Jacob is a unique character through whom the desire in man’s heart to accelerate the hand of destiny is clearly seen. Before Jacob was born God declared that he had chosen him to be greater than his brother. That his elder brother will serve him, Gen 25:2. The promise of Jacob’s election was given to his mother and chances are that Isaac might not have known about it. Chances are that Rebecca told Jacob about it hence planting the desire in him to accelerate the hand of destiny, a decision that culminates in him being a fugitive for 20 years.

I strongly believe that if Jacob could have waited on God to fulfil his promise to him, God would have done it differently and without any regrets just as he did with David.

Gideon, The weak Mighty Warrior

The story of Gideon clearly paints the picture of the manifestation of God's grace to and through a weak and undeserving human vessel. This story is found in Judges chapter 6 through 8, Israel had sinned again, years after Deborah and Barrack had rescued the nation from bondage, are now in another bondage.

The Lord had subjected the Israelites to the Midianites for 7 years, a period of anguish and suffering. The Midianites were so cruel  to Israel that they were forced to live in mountain clefts for security purposes. There was no harvest in Israel during that time because at the time of harvest, the Amalekites, the Midianites and other tribes invaded the land and pillaged it. This suffering made Israel to cry to God for help, as a result Gideon enters the records of the great men of God.

David, The man After God's own Heart

After God’s Own Heart

But now your kingdom will not endure, the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people because you have not kept the Lord’s command. 1 Samuel 13:14.

As Saul’s zeal and passion towards God was waning, when his heart was no longer inclined towards God, God already had someone else ready to take over from him. At the time that God said that David was a man after his own heart, David was not even aware that God had selected him for royalty at that tender age, while still a boy, God called David a man.

Moses and the Call

Moses..
A man of God,
Once moved with a flaming zeal to pursue God's will and calling,
A man ready to bury for the sake of the call
A man ready to act prematurely out of anger,
.....a man zealous for God.

40 years later...
Under the scorching desert sun, all hopes gone,
all fancy desires of being in command gone,
the zeal that once stirred him faded into oblivion,
Simplicity and no future are now the new norm,
The man no longer has the fire of youth to pursue and be all that he thought he would be,

Wonder in the Name- The Name of Jesus

There was once a man who invited his friend for dinner at his house. Every time the host wanted something from his wife, he called her pet names such as honey, sweet, flower, chocolate etc.. As the night progressed, the visitor could not keep his admiration of their love so he leaned over and asked the host "How do you keep the flame of your love burning after all these years? How come you say these nice pet names to your wife with every time?" Without blinking, the host replied, "Honestly, I have forgotten her name".

The Power of Worship: Psalm 91

He that dwells in the secret place of the Most High, shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

Worship is an integral part of our walk with God. In fact it has been stated that man was created, chiefly to worship God. It is evident from scripture that God cannot worship Himself, He on various occasions boasts about His power but never do we see Him worship Himself. Worship is the reason for our being.

Dare to be a Daniel: Standing firm for the Lord

The book of Daniel begins at the end of the Kingdom of Judah. Different prophets  for a long period of time had warned about the imminent destruction of Judah, the temple and the captivity of the people thereof if they would not turn to God, but time and time again we see them going back to idolatry and syncretism, now the time had come for God to rain judgement.

Daniel being of the royal family is taken captive and kept in the courts of the king of Babylon together with his friends. Despite the moral degradation in the land of Judah, God always had a remnant who kept His word, and I strongly believe that Daniel grew up in a godly family which instilled the knowledge of God in him fro a tender age.

Analysis of The Book of Zephania

Background History

The book was written by Zephaniah who is evidently a direct descendant of King Hezekiah. The book was addressed to the house of Judah and it was written during the early times of Josiah's reign, a time when the word of God was almost forgotten and ironically lost inside the house of God 2 Kings 22:8.

It was was a time when Judah was coming out of a great religious and moral depravity in their history which had been commandeered by Manasseh the arch-villain of Judah who had spilled much innocent blood and had led the nation to idolatry and its vices. Now under the leadership of Josiah, who was Manasseh's grand son, some religious reforms had taken place.

Although little is said about the political situation during Josiah's reign, it is certain that he remained loyal to the Assyrians to the very end even when the Assyrian's prestige had begun to wane, this loyalty cost him his life 2 Kings 23:29.

Literary Analysis

In the first two chapters, God spewed judgments to Judah and its environs promising of a coming day "of the Lord" when His vengeance will be poured down upon the land, but in the third and last chapter we gaze at the wonder of Grace. 

In the third chapter we see a God who is ready to dwell with His people, a God who is promising restoration. As a sign of delight in the restoration promises, the author calls God's people to sing joyfully to God Zeph 3:15-16.

Zephaniah 3:9-20 carries the allusion of the messianic time, when Christ is with God's people and delights, enjoys and rests His love on His people.

Contextual Analysis of Zephaniah

The book opens with the foretelling of the destruction of Judah by the Chaldeans due to their sins which provoked God, these sins Zephaniah openly declares them. God calls them to repentance, threatens the neighboring nations with the same destructions and finally ends with encouraging promises of their joyful return out of captivity and restoration which is a reference to the grace of the gospels.

Theological Reflection

The main theme that God relays here is judgment, forgiveness and restoration of His people. The word "I will" is rampant  in the final part of the book