Month: March 2019

In the following pages you will find a blog that was put together for the Israel trip that First Presbyterian Church took from March 22-30.  It will be a blog that we will try to post on the days that we will be there.  Jeff Lampl, a retired Presbyterian pastor, will be the primary contributor.  Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The prophet ends his book with a counting off of the things that are going wrong and ways in which calamity has befallen the nation.  The underlying reality is that family members have turned against family members.  It is a real picture of a civil war portrayed which shows son against father and daughter against mother.  It is tragic, it is sad, it is a reality that is reflected in many countries today.  But look at vs.7, while all of this chaos is happening around him, while his very family is being torn apart…”I will look to the Lord, I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will  hear me.”

The enemy delights in the downfall of the righteous, the enemy delights in seeing bad things happen to good people.  In fact, the enemy asks the question: “Where is the Lord your God?”  But this quickly transitions to a recognition that when the Lord comes to shepherd his people with his staff, then all of a sudden the narrative will change as it does in this chapter at the end.

Look starting at vs.18 where we find God portrayed as a forgiving and pardoning God.  One who is full of grace and doesn’t retain his anger forever.  The author continues and says: He will again have compassion on us.  The author relies upon the promises of the Lord from the past to know that God is faithful all the time, all the time God is faithful.