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Daily Transcripts

12/14/2015
Jonah 1:1-4:11 ~ Revelation 5:1-14 ~ Psalm 133:1-3 ~ Proverbs 29:26-27

Today is the 14th of December. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m Brian. It’s great to be here with you today, lovely to be here with you today. In fact, I can’t imagine a day not being here together around the warmth of our global campfire in the comfort of our beautiful community that we have of brothers and sisters all over the world. It's wonderful to be here with you. So, we read the book of Obadiah, the prophesy against the Edomites yesterday, which brings us to the book of Jonah.

Introduction of a New Book (Old Testament)

The book of Jonah is a book of prophesy but it is one with a twist. Jonah was a prophet, a man in the 8th century BC who lived just north of Nazareth in the northern kingdom of Israel during the reign of Jeroboam II. And even though he was a prophet, the twist is that his mission wasn’t to call Israel to repentance and it wasn’t to forecast coming judgment or destruction of Israel’s enemies. His mission was to go somewhere else, to a different people, to the land of Ninevah, enemies of God, enemies of Israel, and call them to repentance. Of course, I guess in the pecking order of prophets, that was probably low down the list and Jonah is not happy about it. His pride and his fear have him on a ship sailing in the other direction in short order.

The story of Jonah is famous because Jonah ends up in the belly of a whale and after 3 days of repentance he is spit on the shore alive. There are obvious foreshadowings of Christ in this story. There are also obvious parallels to our own lives. When we allow fear and pride to lead us into disobedience, we find ourselves on the run but running from God is impossible. God loves us enough to never stop pursuing us and although Jonah found himself in the belly of a whale, that whale became his salvation. He would have for sure drowned in the open sea and although the journey must have been pretty uncomfortable, God used the whale to deliver him alive and well on the shore. We may find our journey similar and it is important to consider the fact that maybe God isn’t punishing us. Maybe he is actually rescuing us. Maybe he is actually saving us.

So we begin reading, from The Message this week, Jonah.

Commentary

I love this story of Jonah mostly because it is like really convicting on so many levels. So we read the whole story and the dramatic part, Jonah running from God, getting thrown overboard, all of the drama of the whale, Jonah getting spit back up alive, all of that is complete and a wonderful picture of salvation and restoration. You can just only imagine what Jonah looked like when he got spit up on the shore and how fast the word would have traveled around the countryside while this guy that got spit by this whale up on shore is like walking toward Ninevah. And what is Jonah going to do? He's not going to get away from this mission and he's not going to get away from God and he knows it and he knows he's been spared, so all of that, and so he walks into Ninevah probably with a reputation that precedes him, gets into somewhere near the center of the city and starts telling them that the city is going to be destroyed. They actually listen to him. Probably he has this reputation that is preceding him and they can’t just look at him as some crazy guy, some Hebrew from a distant land that they were enemies with so they repent. They repent. They may not have repented had Jonah not gotten swallowed by a whale. They may not have. He may have gone and warned them and they didn’t listen to him at all, but in this case they do.

This drives Jonah crazy. He can’t stand that God is going to have mercy on them. There are so many parallels in our lives. When we are wronged or we have enemies in our lives for whatever reason and we just want God to squash them, and then he sends us to show mercy and it is like “can’t do it” and even if we obey and the mercy is extended, it's just like “this is not fair!” We want justice on our enemies but we certainly don’t want justice, we want the mercy of God in our own lives. This is Jonah sitting outside the city waiting to see what is going to happen and he is so mad. God sends this shade tree to comfort him. But the shade tree dies and Jonah is just like irrational about the whole thing. He just wants to die. “My life is over.” He can’t go back to his prophet clan and tell them that he just saved Ninevah at the hand of God. This is awful. He was supposed to destroy these people! “They were enemies and here you are extending grace. I just want to die. Just let me die. Just kill me.”

And then when this bitter oppressive heat and wind comes up the next day and the tree falls apart and withers, he's just beside himself. God is just there fathering him, talking to him, teaching him what we all need to be taught. What do you have to say about any of this? What do you have to say about Ninevah? What do you have to say about the tree? The tree isn’t yours and neither is this city. How is it that you just want to wipe out a whole city of people that you don’t even know? One hundred and twenty thousand people you don’t even know. You just know they are the enemy of your country, but you don’t know any of their stories. You don’t know anything about this. What do you have to say about any of this? Who are you to sit in judgment of me? You think I can’t change my mind about these people if they change their mind about me? Think I can’t reframe how I think of them if they reframe how they think of me? You think I can’t show mercy if they repent and change?

That is how the book ends. It is like a complete thought but it is left with this pause. It is sort of left with this feeling of “what next?” “Is there more to this story?” I think it is beautiful because it does that, it sort of leaves unfinished business. It leaves us facing our own business. So may we face our own business today.

Prayer

Father, we invite your Holy Spirit into that. We invite your Holy Spirit into all the places where we’ve had this same posture, where we’ve had the same mindset, where we’ve had the same desire for your justice and not your mercy on people that are either our enemies or that we don’t like. Come Holy Spirit and give us your eyes and your ears, your compassion, your heart. Give us the eyes and ears of the kingdom. May we actually be your hands and feet in this world. May we be obedient to you and not try to sit in judgment of you. Because who are we to sit in judgment of you? You have given us life and you have generously bestowed mercy and grace on us every day of that life. We need it. We are doomed without it like everyone else. So come, give us compassion, give us the heart of the kingdom. You are the all-powerful sovereign God. There is nothing that you can’t do. There is no power that will every come close to overcoming you. You have the final say. You’ve allowed us to be your children, so give us your heart. We pray in Jesus’ name, amen.

Announcements

Www.DailyAudioBible.com is the website. It's home base. It is where you find out what is going on around here and what is going on around here is Christmastime. So the Daily Audio Bible Christmas Box is still available for a couple of days, the 17th is sort of the day where we know we can still get you your box by Christmas. After that, you can still order as long as we have them, but not sure, 100% on Christmas delivery. Of course, if you are international, if you are out of the United States, that little window passed a long time ago. You can still order, too, but by this point it's not going to get there by Christmas. So check out the Daily Audio Bible Christmas Box. It is absolutely full of really, truly fantastic resources that we’ve created here inside this community. It's the best of the best. It's all packed in there, so certainly check it out at the Daily Audio Bible Shop at www.DailyAudioBible.com.

The Daily Audio Bible Christmas cards are still available and, of course, we’re still taking the Christmas calls for a couple of more days as well, so if you haven’t gotten your Christmas call in for the Daily Audio Bible Family Christmas, definitely do that right away – (877) 942-4253 is the number to call. And, of course, that is the prayer line, so the only thing that I'm asking is that you don’t combine a prayer request and a holiday greeting in the same call. That won't work and neither one of them will make it. Make them separate calls.

The More Gathering, our women's conference coming up this April 7th through 10th is open for registration and we have early registration until the end of the year. It makes for a fantastic Christmas gift, which is why we bring it out around Christmastime. It's a unique, one-of-a-kind, fantastic Christmas gift for the women in your life, so certainly check that out as well. There is a link for that at www.DailyAudioBible.com or you can go to www.MoreGathering.com.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at www.DailyAudioBible.com. There is a link on the home page or, if you prefer, the mailing address is P.O. Box 1996, Spring Hill, TN 37174.

And as always, if you have a prayer request or comment and right now if you have a holiday greeting, (877) 942-4253 is the number to call.

And that’s it for today. I’m Brian. I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here, tomorrow.

Community Prayer Requests and Praise Reports

Good morning. This is Vivian from Colorado. I’ve been with the DAB since __________ was an infant, a few months old and it has done so much for me. This morning was the first time that I’ve been led to call in. I heard Suzie from Iowa call about her husband and his job and the issues that he is having and how it affects their relationship and I just wanted Suzie to know that I'm going through the same thing and it's very hard, but I want you to know that I will be praying for you and your husband and your husband's boss and I just want to share with you Isaiah 41:10. I had a pastor many years ago give me this verse and it has just stuck with me. Do not fear for I am with you. Do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. We serve a mighty God. Don’t give up, Suzie. Support your husband. Pray for his boss. And I hope you’ll do the same for me. I will be praying for you. I just hope there is a good report some day and if there is on my side, I will call you and let you know what has happened. God bless you all.

Hi Daily Audio Bible family. This is Nicole from High Point, NC. My Christmas wish this year is that my high functioning son, Parker John, he is an autistic, that I would be able to better understand him and able to communicate with him and be a better mommy to him. My also other wish is God took my husband home in July and my wish is that my son, Parker John, and I would have happiness, peace, and joy abundant in our lives. Thank you so much for this wish and this opportunity to share it with you. Goodbye.

Hello and good morning, Daily Audio Bible family. This is Jay calling from New Jersey. I need all of your prayer. Me and my wife are separating, 100% my fault. Instead of reading my Word and praying, I was just prideful and just pushing buttons that shouldn’t have been pressed. But anyway, never too late to pray. Mighty God, in the name of Jesus Christ I come before you, Father, as humbled as I know how. Father, I pray now in the name of Jesus Christ that you will forgive me and anyone in the sound of my voice would pray this prayer with me for all the sins that we have committed knowingly and unknowingly, of commission and of omission, Father. God, we pray now that you will impose your will upon us. Father, we pray that you will guide us like your sheep in the direction that you wish us to go. Heavenly, holy, mighty, powerful and wonderful, just God, show us what it is you want us to do from here on out. Show us how to be humble. Show us how to live. Show us how not to walk in pride, Father. Father, make it so that this is clear and it cannot be denied. Help us to make sure that we get our Word and our private time with you. Remind us when we are envying and prideful and upset and seeing red and thinking through strife that your Word is there for us to use all the time. Amen.

Hi family. This is Walta, the burning bush that will not be consumed for the glory of our God and king. Usually I call after listening to the podcast, the reading and the prayer requests, but today I’ve been led to call before and I just want to send up love to all those listening, especially those who started this year. Congratulations. You're almost at the end. This is an awesome journey and this is actually just your beginning because every year it is different. I’ve been listening for (I keep losing count), I know before 2009. I forget how long it has been. I know at least I’ve been listening way before there was an app, when there was just a podcast, before there was a prayer line. Every year it is different. Every year is new. So I encourage you to go ahead and send out gifts to your family members and friends and just let them know how awesome this family is. Brian and Jill, praise God for you and your family. I pray many blessings upon all of you guys as we end this year. I know I'm running out of time, but I just wanted to send some love to all of you. No matter what you're going through, God is going to see you through. Love you and I'm out.

Hi, this is Stephen from Cullman, AL. Hey, it's funny how God works in our lives. Just this week… Well, I have a confession. I don’t always listen to the prayer requests a lot of times just out of being busy. Every time I do listen to it, though, I'm blessed and I find people that I pray for and it is just a great encouragement. For some reason this week I decided to start listening to the prayers. Yesterday on the 8th Brian talked about the community and the connection with the community and I immediately thought of Pelham and how he and I, living in the same town, didn’t know each other but when we met each other, we had an instant bond because of this community. It has been a special friendship. And then today on December 9th, Sheila from Massachusetts, she mentioned Pelham and Molly, so I sent Pelham a text this morning. I think you're going to be hearing from him soon. He's going to get back engaged, but let's pray for him. He's kind of fallen off a little bit and he needs your prayers. Father, I just pray for this community. I thank you for Brian. I thank you for Daily Audio Bible. Thank you for everyone that listens. We pray for Pelham and bring him back. There are so many that love and want to hear his voice again. We thank you so much for your gift of your Word and it is in Jesus’ name, amen.

Hello, my name is Joel and this is my first time calling in. I know that prayer changes lives and it is so powerful. You're the only ones that can talk to God and just humble ourselves and ask for requests and guidance and I'm asking the community today for help in my life. Right now I'm on the crossroads between a major career decision. I'm doing very well in m job right now but it's not where my heart is. It's not where I want to be. I just ask for people to pray for me and let God tell me what he wants me to do and where he wants me to go. The world is pulling me one direction and I’ve been very successful at that, but I need to be in touch with what God wants me to do. I just pray that you would pray for me, that I have wisdom in where I take my life and what I commit myself to on a daily basis as far as my profession and how I'm going to serve and love others. Thank you.

Tamarie 12/15/2015 07:31

Replies:
ameron Diet 11/02/2023 05:56
Let's pray for him, though, because he's about to be engaged again. A little bit of a decline has occurred, so please keep him in your prayers. Please, Father, hear my prayer for this city. For Brian, I am eternally grateful. I really appreciate the Daily Audio Bible. Everyone that hears this, thank you. We ask God to heal Pelham and return him to us. There are so many that love and wish to hear his voice again. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen. we give you thanks for the gift of your Word. https://geometry-dash.io/
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