I gotta have my orange juice.

Through his disobedience and discipline, Jonah became an accidental evangelist to the mariners:

Therefore they cried out to Yahweh and said, “We pray, O Yahweh, please do not let us perish for this man’s life, and do not charge us with innocent blood; for You, O Yahweh, have done as it pleased You.” So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. Then the men feared Yahweh exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice to Yahweh and took vows. (Jonah 1:14–16)

Maybe God will do the same with the modern evangelical church. This past year has been the year we built our own houses and abandoned God’s:

In the second year of King Darius, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of Yahweh came by Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, saying, “Thus speaks Yahweh of hosts, saying: ‘This people says, “The time has not come, the time that Yahweh’s house should be built.” ‘ ” Then the word of Yahweh came by Haggai the prophet, saying, “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?” Now therefore, thus says Yahweh of hosts: “Consider your ways! “You have sown much, and bring in little; You eat, but do not have enough; You drink, but you are not filled with drink; You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; And he who earns wages, Earns wages to put into a bag with holes.” Thus says Yahweh of hosts: “Consider your ways! Go up to the mountains and bring wood and build the temple, that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified,” says Yahweh. “You looked for much, but indeed it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why?” says Yahweh of hosts. “Because of My house that is in ruins, while every one of you runs to his own house. Therefore the heavens above you withhold the dew, and the earth withholds its fruit. (Haggai 1:1–10)

We violated the fourth commandment by elevating our own hearth fires above God’s:

Now while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering sticks on the Sabbath day. And those who found him gathering sticks brought him to Moses and Aaron, and to all the congregation. They put him under guard, because it had not been explained what should be done to him.

Then Yahweh said to Moses, “The man must surely be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp.” So, as Yahweh commanded Moses, all the congregation brought him outside the camp and stoned him with stones, and he died. (Exodus 31:12–17)

And yet, God will use all this for the salvation of many rather than a few:

​“Indeed He says,
​‘​It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant
​​To raise up the tribes of Jacob,
​​And to restore the preserved ones of Israel;
​​I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles,
​​That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’ ”
​​Thus says Yahweh,
​​The Redeemer of Israel, their Holy One,
​​To Him whom man despises,​​
To Him whom the nation abhors,​​
To the Servant of rulers:​​
“Kings shall see and arise,
​​Princes also shall worship,​​
Because of the LORD who is faithful,​​
The Holy One of Israel;
​​And He has chosen You.” (Isaiah 49:6–7)

Pray especially for the work God is doing in China and in the Muslim world.

“Yet the number of the children of Israel​​
Shall be as the sand of the sea,​​
Which cannot be measured or numbered.​​
And it shall come to pass
​​In the place where it was said to them,​
‘​You are not My people,’
​It shall be said to them,​
‘​Sons of the living God.’
​​Then the children of Judah and the children of Israel​​
Shall be gathered together,​​
And appoint for themselves one head;​​
And they shall come up out of the land,​​
For great will be the day of Jezreel!” (Hosea 1:10–11)

To the Word has us in the Book of the Twelve right now. One thing that has struck me repeatedly this time through the Bible is the extent of God’s dealings with kings and nations. This is not a minor theme in the Bible.

I mentioned recently that the meaning of worshipping in Spirit is to do so as the body of Jesus—the church—in his presence. I cited Revelation 1 as an example, but we see this expression in association with worship–fellowship with God as early as Genesis 3:

And they heard the sound of Yahweh God walking in the garden in the spirit of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Yahweh God among the trees of the garden. (Genesis 3:8, NKJV adjusted and emphasis added)

Speaking of worship, if you are in the Raleigh area, please join me for this year’s rescheduled worship and liturgy conference with Peter Leithart. As a foretaste, consider what he has to say about liturgy and joy.

Isn’t it about time that we impeached Woodrow Wilson? Although we may not be able to prevent him from voting, we need to make sure that he never holds office again.

When they were excavating around the legs of Ozymandias, archaeologists found two disposable face masks.

I learned this week that Babette’s Feast originated as an Isak Dinesen short story! I’ve ordered myself a copy, and am looking to resume our family tradition of watching the movie on super bowl Sunday this year.