destiny

God’s family

God’s relationship to the people of Israel was the basis of his involvement in their lives. It says in Amos 3:2, “You only have I known of all the families of the earth.” The Hebrew word translated known, yada’ is properly translated as “to ascertain by seeing” which includes observation, care, recognition; and causatively instruction, designation, and punishment (3045). In a sense, Israel had become a member of God’s family, and vice versa. God treated the Israelites like a father would treat his own child.

Because God had been involved in the lives of the Israelites and knew them in a personal way, it says in Amos 3:2, “Therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.” The Hebrew word translated punish, pâqad (paw – kad´) means to visit or be concerned with, to look after and make a search for, as well as punish (6485). Another way to look at paqad is “to intervene on behalf of” and in the normal course of events to bring about or fulfill a divine intent.

Over the course of time, Israel seemed to have forgotten or were unaware that there was a reason for their existence. In particular, the nation of Judah was designated to bring forth the Messiah. At the time of Amos’ ministry, the primary focus of Judah was preservation of the most favored nation status they were entitled to as God’s chosen people. Their worship had become meaningless as if they were just going through the motions. In an effort to remind his people that he was in control of their destiny, God asked the question, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” (Amos 3:3).

The Hebrew word translated agreed, yâ‘ad (yaw – ad´) means to meet at a stated time (3259). The idea behind this word is to make an appointment or set a time for an event to take place, such as an engagement when a wedding date is established. God was letting his people know that a time had been set for his Messiah to be born and he intended to keep his appointment. Therefore, God’s people needed to be brought into alignment with his plan through divine intervention.

God’s punishment was intended to bring his people back to him. He wanted them to repent, make an effort to change, “to re-grasp the situation, and exert effort for the situation to take a different course of purpose and action” (5162). What needed to happen was the people needed to be converted. “The process called conversion or turning to God is in reality a re-turning or a turning back again to Him from whom sin has separated us, but whose we are by virtue of creation, preservation and redemption” (7725).

God had made numerous attempts to bring his people to a point of repentance, but each time there was no response. Five times in Amos chapter four, the LORD stated, “Yet have ye not returned unto me” and then concluded, “Therefore thus will I do unto thee O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel” (Amos 4:12). The LORD’s people would encounter an enemy so fierce, they would be forced to cry out to God for mercy.

Balance of power

The divided kingdom of Israel made it possible for God to control his peoples’ destiny through a balance of power. Bassha’s evil influences on the people of Israel was counteracted by Asa’s reforms and dependence on God. King Ahab’s wicked deeds were offset by Jehoshaphat’s devotion to God and obedience to his word.

Jehu was made king of Israel at a time when the kingdom of Judah was extremely vulnerable. All the male descendants to the throne had been killed except one (2 Chronicles 22:10-11). Athaliah, the daughter of king Ahab, was reigning over the land of Judah while her grandson, Jehoash was hidden away in the temple of God (2 Chronicles 22:12).

Jehu’s cleansing of Israel began with the death of king Joram (2 Kings 9:24) and Jezebel (2 Kings 9:33), then he had all of Ahab’s seventy sons put to death (2 Kings 10:7). After that, Jehu dealt with the idolatry that had taken over the people’s hearts. Jehu’s first action was to befriend the leader of a conservative movement in Israel named Jehonadab (2 Kings 10:15). Jehu invited Jehonadab to participate in his effort to rid Israel of Baal worship. “And he said, Come with me, and see my zeal for the LORD. So they made him ride in his chariot” (2 Kings 10:16).

Jehu’s zeal for the LORD could have been described as righteous indignation over the Baal worship that Ahab had instigated. Ahab had gone so far as to build a temple for Baal in his capital city of Samaria (1 Kings 16:32). When Jehu called all the Baal worshippers to a solemn assembly, it says in 2 Kings 10:21, “And they came into the house of Baal; and the house of Baal was full from one end to the other.”

Jehu put and end to Baal worship in Israel (2 Kings 10:28), “but Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the LORD God of Israel with all his heart: for he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, which he made Israel to sin” (2 Kings 10:31). Jehu was not devoted to God. More than anything, Jehu wanted to punish Ahab for what he thought he had done wrong, compromise Israel’s position of power.

Jehu knew God, but he didn’t have a personal relationship with him. Jehu didn’t pray or ask the LORD for guidance. He merely carried out the assignment he was given to cut off the house of Ahab (2 Chronicles 22:7). Jehu’s zeal for the LORD served the purpose of restoring Israel to a position of power, but it didn’t last. The shift was only temporary until Jehoash was able to take the throne and reform the kingdom of Judah.

Not chosen

The prophecy about Edom recorded in the book of Obadiah was a result of the nation’s rebellion against Judah (2 Kings 8:20). Edom, also known as Esau, was the older twin brother of Jacob who sold his birthright for a bowl of soup (Genesis 25:32-33). Esau was predestined to serve his younger brother, and yet, he refused to accept his position. The struggle between the two brothers was manifested in hostility between their two nations, and after Israel went into captivity, Edom sought to take advantage of Judah’s misfortune.

Edom made the mistake of aligning itself with the world powers hostile to God and his kingdom. Therefore, the nation was doomed to destruction. Instead of defending their brother nation, Edom joined a confederacy that stood against Israel and made a pact to support their enemies. It says in Obadiah verse 10, “For thy violence against thy brother Jacob shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off forever.”

Like a gambler that makes a wager against his own team, Edom showed no loyalty to God’s chosen people, but rather reveled in the thought that they would be beaten by their enemies. Since a time had already been set for his people to be justified, God made it clear to the nation of Edom that they had chosen the wrong side. “For the day of the LORD is near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee; thy reward shall return upon thine own head” (Obadiah 15).

While the foreign nations may have been able to claim ignorance about God’s plan for the nation of Israel, Edom could not. As descendants of Abraham, the people of Edom were aware of the promise God made to bless his chosen people. Jealousy and envy caused Edom to resent the choice God made. The nation, like their forefather Esau, could not get over the fact that God was in control and he would decide their fate. “And there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for the LORD hath spoken it” (Obadiah 18).

Edom could have been saved if they would have continued to serve Judah. It was because they broke away and became hostile to Israel that they were condemned. The problem was that Edom wasn’t interested in God’s mercy. God’s plan for Israel included salvation for the gentiles. The only requirement was that they had to submit to God and do things his way, but Edom would not. “And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD’s” (Obadiah 21).

Destiny

A little over a week after my divorce was final, I was laid-off from my job. Over the course of three years, I attempted several new occupations, but eventually ended up unemployed with no job prospects. When my financial situation had become desperate, I heard about an opening at the same manufacturing company I previously worked for. I didn’t want to go back to work in a factory, but I felt strongly that it was the Lord’s will for me to apply for the position. When I got a job offer, I knew I had to take it.

Proverbs 19:21 says, “there are many devices in a man’s heart, nevertheless the counsel of the LORD , that shall stand.” The Hebrew word translated stand in this verse, qûwm (koom) means to come about. “It is also used to denote the inevitable occurrence of something predicted or prearranged” (6965). A word that is derived from kuwm, mâqowm (maw – kome´) means a spot or the location in which something is placed. Maqowm is typically translated place and its definition indicates “a ‘place’ is sometimes a task or office” (4725). In that context, kuwm can refer to reaching a destination or destiny.

It was really strange when I started my new job because it felt like I was picking up exactly where I had left off three years earlier. It was almost as if a pause button had been pressed and then suddenly released and my life was back in motion. The only thing that was different was that I was no longer living in Washington State, but had returned to Southern California where I grew up. My situation seemed like a dream come true. Instead of a factory, I ended up working in a very nice office building and received a sixty percent increase in pay.

In the beginning

We usually think of beginnings and endings as fixed points in time where something exists or doesn’t exist. The first verse in the Bible says, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). I think one of the most controversial aspects of theology is that God existed before the beginning. He had to or he couldn’t have created the heaven and the earth.

Thinking about what the beginning is may be the best way to unravel the mystery of life. What if the beginning is not a fixed point in time, but a fixed point in space? What if existence is not about what something is, but about where it is? God said to David through the prophet Nathan, “Also I will ordain a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, and they shall dwell in their place, and shall be moved no more; neither shall the children of wickedness waste them any more, as at the beginning” (1 Chronicles 17:9).

The beginning that I believe the LORD is referring to is the Israelites’ entrance into the Promised Land. Although the people had been in the Promised Land for hundreds of years before David became king, their existence as the nation of Israel was not established until David began to dwell in Zion, what was then referred to as the city of David and is now known as Jerusalem.

The phrase “ordain a place” means to put or place someone in a place in society, a position or role that will fulfill his or her destiny, the inevitable occurrence of something predicted or prearranged. The nation of Israel actually came into existence much later than David’s reign as king, but from a time perspective, the establishment of the people in a geographical location is what enabled it to exist.

I could be wrong, but one of the ways I think we know we are in the place where our destiny is or will be fulfilled is it feels like home. There is a sense that we belong and at times it may feel as if we have always been there even though we have not. I think the key to existence is the reality that you did not end up in your place, but were placed there by the hand of God.

It is interesting that the LORD said he would plant his people and they would be moved no more (1 Chronicles 17:9) because often times when people intend to stay in a particular location for an extended period of time, they refer to it as putting down roots. The principle of sowing and reaping can be applied here in the context of having a fruitful life. When we arrive at the place God ordains for us, it will be obvious to everyone around us. They will see a difference and know that God has been at work.