This is a very significant week in Nigeria. It is the last week of Nigeria’s year. It is the week preceding the Independence Day. This week in Nigeria, the old is ending to give way to the new. The Lord has shown His faithfulness and helped us amid challenges in the year. This is a week of reflection, thanksgiving, and prayers.
THE 39TH WEEK OF THE YEAR
Here are five things about the 39th season – from the 39th book and chapters of the Bible.
1. The 39th is the end of a phase, and the beginning of a new story. Malachi, the 39th book of the Bible, is the end of the Old Testament. It is the book before the New Testament. In Genesis 39, Joseph’s time in Portiphar’s house began and ended. He parted with his garment of slavery in this chapter. He never returned to that house. Genesis 39 is the bridge chapter in the life of Joseph. From being Portiphar’s slave, he went to prison where He met his change. It was in the 39th year of Azariah king of Judah that the Northern Kingdom experienced a power-shift from Zechariah to Shallum to Menahem (2 Kings 15:8-17). After the 39th chapter of Isaiah, the Lord moved from confrontation to comfort. The 39th season is transition season.
The work on the tabernacle, under Bezalel, ended in Exodus 39 with the preparation of the garment of the priests. The tabernacle was dedicated in the 40th chapter. Job 39 marked the end of God’s first round of questions to Job. Isaiah’s four-chapter story about Hezekiah that began in the 36th chapter, ended in Isaiah 39. In this chapter, Isaiah spoke of the captivity of Judah. Isaiah 39:5-7 says, “Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the LORD of hosts: [6] ‘Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and what your fathers have accumulated until this day, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left,’ says the LORD. [7] ‘And they shall take away some of your sons who will descend from you, whom you will beget; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.’” In Jeremiah 39, Jerusalem finally fell to the Babylonians according to God’s word; and Jeremiah was freed and favored by the Babylonians. In Ezekiel 39, the Prophet saw Israel restored to her land.
How has this played out in modern history?
The stories of men and nations confirm there is a shift that occurs in the 39th season.
The War of 1812-1814 between the United States of America and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland ended with a Peace treaty in the 39th year of the United States. That war was the second and last war of America’s independence. The United States became completely free from British domination in the 39th year of the nation – following that war of 1812-1814. The Camp David Accord between Israel and Egypt happened in the season of Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States. It was the beginning of a new day for the two countries. Margaret Thatcher became UK Prime Minister in the 39th seven years of the United Kingdom; and she was the first woman to hold that office. Nigeria moved from military rule to democracy in 1999, the 39th year of her nationhood. That was when she began to move into the New Testament side of her political destiny. Nigeria became independent on October 1, 1960; the day following the end of the 39th week of the year. Nigeria ceased to be a British colony after the 39th week of 1960.n the 39th season men may reflect on the frailty of human life and call upon God for deliverance from death. In Psalm 39:4-6, the psalmist says, “LORD, make me to know my end, And what is the measure of my days, That I may know how frail I am. [5] Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths, And my age is as nothing before You; Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor. Selah [6] Surely every man walks about like a shadow; Surely they busy themselves in vain; He heaps up riches, And does not know who will gather them. In Jeremiah 39, Jerusalem fell as Jeremiah prophesied. In Ezekiel 39, Tog is deceived to march against Israel. The forces of Gog were defeated and destroyed; and their carcasses given to the birds of the air. 1939 was a year of great loss of lives. January 13 was Black Friday in Victoria where 71 people died in one of Australia’s bushfires. On January 24, earthquake killed 30, 000 people in Chile. On December 27, earthquake shook eastern Turkey and left over 32, 700 people dead. This is besides the lives consumed by the Second World War that began September 1. The war was an invite from the spirit of death. This week in 1992 (26 September) a Nigerian Air Force plane NAF911 crashed three minutes after take-off from Lagos, Nigeria. A total of 159 military officers including 8 foreign nationals (151 from Nigeria, 5 from Ghana, 1 from Tanzania, 1 from Zimbabwe, 1 from Uganda) were confirmed dead.
2. In the 39th season, heaven permits men to be tempted and tested for their future and destiny. In Genesis 39, Joseph was tempted to commit immorality. He refused, and was victimized. His mind was on truth instead of fantasy. He passed the test of the season. In Exodus 39, God gave commandments to Moses about the priestly garment and the Ephod. The ephod was used to determine the will of God. The 39th season is a time to discern the will of God before taking action. It is not a time to do your own thing. If only Adolf Hitler knew that, he would not have commanded the invasion of Poland in 1939. At least, he would have saved his own life. He was deceived and deceived others to go with him on a journey that did not favor him and his large company. In the 39th chapter of Psalms, the psalmist speaks of using his mouth carefully. In Psalm 39:1-2, the psalmist says, I said, “I will guard my ways, Lest I sin with my tongue; I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle, While the wicked are before me.” [2] I was mute with silence, I held my peace even from good; And my sorrow was stirred up”. Words matter in the 39th season. The season is also when the worth of men are weighed in a balance. In Malachi, the 39th and last book of the Old Testament, the Lord entered into controversy with Israel but they were full of defenses. The contested every point God made n the book. How can men argue or contend with God?
3. The 39th season is a time of temptation and tough choices. The subject of the temptation is usually “Lie with me”. If the tempter does not get, peacefully, what he wants, he turns to victimization. Dissidents are victimized in the 39th season. Hezekiah faced that temptation in Isaiah 39 – whether or not to receive the royal guests from Babylon. Hezekiah did not know he was being tempted. Hezekiah unadvisedly received Babylonian guests and showed them everything in his palace. Isaiah rebuked Him for that; but the king did not understand the weight of what he did. In the 14th book of the Bible where the incident is also reported, 2 Chronicles 32:31 says, “However, regarding the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, whom they sent to him to inquire about the wonder that was done in the land, God withdrew from him, in order to test him, that He might know all that was in his heart”.Judah and Jerusalem faced that temptation in Jeremiah 39 – whether to surrender to Babylon or not. That was the temptation Poland faced in 1939 concerning Germany’s interest in the city of Danzig. This week in 2022, parts of Ukraine will face this temptation. Russia mastermind a “Lie with me” referendum in parts of Ukraine she occupies. Wisdom and divine guidance are grossly needed in this season.
4. The 39th season is for humbling the proud. Asa the king of Judah became proud and incorrigible. He imprisoned a messenger of God that brought correction to him. He became sick in the 39th year. The proud and arrogant get stuck in the 39th season. 2 Chronicles 16:12 says, “And in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa became diseased in his feet, and his malady was severe; yet in his disease he did not seek the LORD, but the physicians”. The destruction of Jerusalem is recorded in Jeremiah 39. Those who did not believe the words of the prophet were humiliated.
5. The 39th season is a time to trust God for restoration because the old is coming to an end. The 39th book of the ended with a promise of restoration. Malachi 4:5-6 says, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. [6] And he will turn The hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.”
PRAYER POINTS FOR THE 39TH WEEK
1. Pray that the Lord will help you, and all your people in the nations, as He helped Joseph in Genesis 39, to walk in the spirit and overcome every trial and temptation of this week.
2. Pray that the Lord will deliver us from blindly questioning Him in this 39th week as Israel questioned Him and argued with Him in the 39th book of the Bible.
3. Declare that the Old Testament side of this year is ending this 39th week. Pray that the pains of this year may end with this 39th week and let good news of God love and mercy greet the nations as we step into the 40th week of the year
4. Pray that the Lord will vindicate the faithful in the nations in this 39th week of the year as He vindicated Jeremiah in the 39th chapter of the book of Jeremiah.
5. Pray against unnecessary provocations or unjust wars that seek to rise in the 39th season.
PRAYER POINTS FOR THE 52ND WEEK
What does the Bible reveal concerning the 52nd?
- 1. It is a time for change of baton. It is an endpoint.
2 Kings 15:1-2,27 says, “In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariah the son of Amaziah, king of Judah, became king. [2] He was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecholiah of Jerusalem. [27] In the fifty-second year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekah the son of Remaliah became king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned twenty years. Pekah was succeeded by Hoshea the last king of the Northern Kingdom. King Azariah’s reign ended in the 52nd year because of pride” (2 Chronicles 26:15-21).Psalm 52 reveals that the 52nd season is an endpoint for the proud, boastful, and wicked. Psalm 52:1-7 says, “Why do you boast in evil, O mighty man? The goodness of God endures continually. [2] Your tongue devises destruction, Like a sharp razor, working deceitfully. [3] You love evil more than good, Lying rather than speaking righteousness. Selah [4] You love all devouring words, You deceitful tongue. [5] God shall likewise destroy you forever; He shall take you away, and pluck you out of your dwelling place, And uproot you from the land of the living. Selah [6] The righteous also shall see and fear, And shall laugh at him, saying, [7] “Here is the man who did not make God his strength, But trusted in the abundance of his riches, And strengthened himself in his wickedness.”
2. The 52nd is a turnaround season. Isaiah 52 is prophecy about the end of captivity and reproach for the people of God. Isaiah 52:1-2 says, “Awake, awake! Put on your strength, O Zion; Put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city! For the uncircumcised and the unclean Shall no longer come to you. [2] Shake yourself from the dust, arise; Sit down, O Jerusalem! Loose yourself from the bonds of your neck, O captive daughter of Zion!”
3. The 52nd season is ‘the end’. Jeremiah 52 is a review of the fall of Judah and Jerusalem and the release of Jehoiachin from prison. The book of Jeremiah ends at the 52nd chapter because the book is about the captivity of Judah and fall of Jerusalem. The subject of the book of Jeremiah is ‘the end’ of Judah and the end of her rebellion. That is the prophetic reason it has 52 chapters. Every year ends after the 52nd week. There are seven 52 (7×52) days in a year.
4. The 52nd season is when the unexpected happens. The 52nd year of the 20th century (1952) was a good year for Republicans in the United States. The GOP returned to power after 20 years of Democrats’ leadership. Dwight D Eisenhower (Ike) became the 34th President of the United States. The same year, Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne following the death of her father, King George VI. She was never expected to become the Queen of England but the turn-around came in 1952. The 52nd season is a season of taking back control. It is a season of breakthroughs. This week, the unexpected will happen again; this time, in your favor. ‘The dominating waters’ will be moved away; and your ‘dry ground’ will appear as the new productive platform. This is Dry Ground’s Week!
5. The 52nd is about the triumph of God. Paul’s first epistle to the Thessalonians is the 52nd book of the Bible. The 52nd book of the Bible is a celebration of victory and triumph for a church that should not have survived but did. It is a testimony that God’s word triumphs over persecution and hardship. Persecution drove Paul and his team out of Thessalonica but could not uproot the gospel or the church there. The Lord overthrew the plans of the evil one to establish this church. The book is also about hope and comfort in the midst of affliction and conflict. It is a book of exhortations for those who are concerned about, or mindful of, ‘the end’. It also speaks of vengeance from the Lord. The message of the 52nd is, “It is over! God has won”; or “God wins at the end”.
PRAYER POINTS FOR THE 52ND WEEK:
1. Give thanks to the Lord for His mercies through the past 51 weeks of our year.
2. Pray the Lord will stop the proud and boastful in Nigeria in this 52nd week of our current year.
3. Pray that the Lord will bring the pains and reproaches of the past 12 months to an end in this 52nd week.
4. Pray that the Lord will cause the release of things and people held captive by the enemy in Nigeria as He did for Jehoiachin in Jeremiah 52. Remember those held captive by bandits. This week, release Nigeria from the prison of this passing year.
5. Pray that as in the 52nd book of the Bible, this 52nd week of Nigeria’s year will be a season to celebrate the triumph of God and His people in Nigeria over the afflictions of the ending year.
SCRIPTURES FOR THE WEEK
Malachi 4:2-3: “But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise With healing in His wings; And you shall go out And grow fat like stall-fed calves. [3] You shall trample the wicked, For they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet On the day that I do this,” Says the LORD of hosts”
Isaiah 52:1-2 “Awake, awake! Put on your strength, O Zion; Put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city! For the uncircumcised and the unclean Shall no longer come to you. [2] Shake yourself from the dust, arise; Sit down, O Jerusalem! Loose yourself from the bonds of your neck, O captive daughter of Zion!”
Have a happy 39th week of the year and a triumphant 52nd week of Nigeria’s year year!
