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Voice of the Minor Prophets
By Faye Reynolds for Women in Focus
The Voice of the Minor Prophets
Lesson 1: Introduction 1. What are the Minor Prophets? This term was used in the late 4th Century to distinguish between the longer prophetic books, of Isaiah, Ezekiel and Jeremiah. They are not minor in their message, but simply in their size. The 12 Minor Prophets in the order that they lived and ministered to Israel or Judah:
Group Book Approximate Dates
Pre-‐Exilic
Prophets of Israel
Jonah (preached to Nineveh)
Amos
Hosea
780-‐850
765-‐750
755-‐715
Prophets of Judah Obadiah
Joel
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
840
835-‐796
740-‐690
630-‐612
606-‐604
625
Post-‐Exilic Prophets
Prophets of the Returned
Remnant
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi
520
515
430
2. The early prophets spoke to the issues facing the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern Kingdom of Israel (mad e up primarily of Judah). So, often there will be two prophets over the same time period, one for Israel and one for Judah. 3. Why did God choose to speak through prophets? Read Deuteronomy 18: 14 – 22 In the Mormon religion, the concept of the prophet still holds a prominent place in their culture. The prophet is the voice of God and it takes great courage to speak against the prophet and his direct revelations from God. The Catholic faith does not call the Pope a prophet but in many ways he is the authoritative voice through which God speaks to his people. 4. One of the biggest questions facing the Christian church today is in regards to authority. We believe in the authority of Scripture, but whose interpretation of that Scripture? It is very difficult to trust in any one human being as “the authority” on any particular subject but even harder regarding Scripture. The Hebrew people were surrounded by cultures that used divination, magic, and astrology to discern the
will of the gods. Yahweh made it clear to his chosen people that they were not to participate in any such thing but that he would always give them an elected person to speak for him. This is before the coming of Christ, for the Messiah would be God’s final and complete Word. He has also given his Holy Spirit to believers. Yet we continue to struggle to know and hear God’s voice. 5. How do you discern whether a teacher or author is authoritative? Who do you respect the most to help you understand the Scriptures and discern the will of God? 6. It is important to have three “input streams” into your life. a. You must read and study Scripture for yourself and pray for understanding b. You must learn to listen and discern the Holy Spirit’s leading in your own heart. c. You must check your understandings with the community of believers – not necessarily with the majority, but with a group of Godly people that you trust. The Message of the Prophets In Deuteronomy 28 – 30, there was outlined the behaviors that God expected of his people and the blessings which would follow for obedience and the curses for disobedience. The role of the prophets was to show the people where they were straying from God’s design. They did not add new laws or decrees but upheld what was established through Moses. They were not coming up with “new revelations” that God only revealed to them as seen in cultish practices today. They were the “smoke detector” of the community. They did not predict the future so much as read the signs – if you continue to live this way, these are the consequences. However they also offered good news of hope and deliverance in times of oppression and struggle. Each minor prophet with the exception of Jonah is outlined with a similar message: 1. A pronouncement or accusation where the prophet identifies the wrongful behavior and resulting consequences if that behavior continues among the people. 2. A call to repent with a motivating appeal of either a promise or a threat. If you change your ways, God will bless you, but if you do not change your ways, destruction will follow. 3. A revelation of the heart of God. He loves his people and longs for them to be whole and holy and so there is always a message of “fear not”! It is never too late to turn back to God. 4. A picture of the future under God’s blessing. The message of hope that all will be well if we remain faithful to God and that he desires the best for his people As we study the messages of the Minor Prophets together, we will want to consider ways in which the Christian church today may not always be honoring God’s calling to be salt and light in the world. The prophets particularly speak to corporate practices of injustice that harm the poor and downtrodden. These issues are still challenges to us today. The questions we will wrestle with together have to do with the places and times that the church needs to speak into society and call for change.
The book of Jonah, The Reluctant Prophet We begin this study with the Minor Prophet who is the exception to the rule. The prophet, Jonah, is not sent to the people of either the Northern or Southern Kingdom of Israel, but to a heathen nation of Assyria. It is the only book that calls another nation to repentance. However, the story of Jonah’s life is actually a message to the people of Israel in that Jonah symbolizes the attitudes of the Hebrews to the cultures surrounding them. So it is helpful to think of the story of Jonah as a parable or allegory speaking to Israel and in that way, it fits the pattern of the Minor Prophets. What is the behavior that God wants Israel to change? Is there a warning? Is there a promise? NOTE: This is not to argue whether or not Jonah was a historical person or that the events described did not take place, but that this account has a deeper message than the repentance of Nineveh and rather speaks to the heart of Israel their calling to be a “light to the nations”. Read out loud the whole story of Jonah: While reading, watch for the elements in Jonah’s story of the extremely miraculous. Summarize in your own words what you think is the primary message of this book. 1. Nineveh was the capital of Assyria, the hated nation that had already taken many Israelites into captivity. How would Jonah feel about being called to this city? 2. Jonah is known as the reluctant prophet because he had no desire to see the people of Nineveh repent and find God’s favour. Tarshish was a city in Spain and Jonah was heading in the opposite direction. Are there any examples in history when Christians have deliberately done the opposite of what God wanted them to do? 3. Are there some people that we would be more comfortable sharing the good news than with others? Can you define any prejudices that might be revealed by our discomfort? 4. Study closely the words and actions of the sailors and compare them with the words and actions of Jonah. Who seems to fear God more? Who seems to respect life more? What irony is being revealed between the “heathen” and the “faithful”? 5. vs. 12: Why did Jonah give these instructions and what outcome was he expecting, both personally and also for the sailors? Why were the sailors reluctant to do what Jonah asked? Why didn’t Jonah just jump into the ocean to save the sailor’s lives? 6. What characteristic of God is revealed in the sending of a great fish to swallow Jonah? 7. The Psalm in chapter 2 is considered by most scholars to be a later addition. It does not seem to fit the attitude of Jonah in his present situation within the belly of the fish or with his behavior as the story continues in Chapter 3 and 4. He continues to be the reluctant prophet as we will discuss next lesson. But what does the Psalm say to you and why might it have been placed there? Why or why not is the Psalm appropriate to Jonah’s situation? Use this Psalm as your closing prayer.
Lesson 2: Jonah, chapters 3 and 4 For most people brought up in Sunday school, the story of Jonah ends with Chapter 3. Jonah tried to run from God but to flee God’s will seems impossible. Jonah repents and does what he is supposed to do and Nineveh repents and is saved. However, this is not the whole story, nor the end of the story. Reread chapter 3 1. God says, “Go . . . and proclaim to it the message I give you”. Considering what you know of God, what message might He have given to Jonah to pass on to the people of Assyria? 2. Jonah preaches the shortest sermon on record! “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned.” There is no call to repentance, no word of who God is or what he is about. No word of hope if they do repent. Consider how hard it is to witness to your friends and neighbors and yet Jonah offers only the pronouncement: Forty days and Nineveh is going down! What does this reveal about Jonah’s attitude toward the Ninevites? How much is his heart in this calling? 3. Contrast the very poor effort that Jonah put forth against the incredible response to his message. This exaggeration is set up as an irony by the author. What is he trying to communicate to the Israelites who read this message? Why would such a huge city pay any attention to the voice of one man? What is God revealing about the hearts of those we label “enemies”? The irony continues as even the cattle repent and covered in sackcloth. How does the King of Nineveh describe God? What is his understanding and how did he arrive at it as a heathen? Now read chapter 4 1. What does Jonah’s prayer in verses 1 – 3 reveal about his heart and also the heart of the Israelites? In what ways does Jonah truly understand God and in what ways does he not at all? 2. Why would he rather be dead than see the people of Nineveh redeemed? Is this attitude seen anywhere in our Christian experience? Do we have an enemy that we long for God to punish rather than bless? What does this do to our sense of justice and right and wrong? 3. If God said to you, “Have you any right to be angry?” What would be your response? Perhaps you can think of an instance in your own life where you feel angry toward a person or situation of injustice. 4. Jonah goes outside of the city and sets himself up in a place where he hopes to watch the destruction of Nineveh. He is pouting. There God decides to teach him through an object lesson. What is the object lesson of the vine? 5. Note the inconsistency of numbers. Nineveh is described as a great city that takes three days to walk through and yet its population is described as 120,000 people with many cattle. It is an odd reference except to show that God’s compassion is unlimited to size or number and he even cares about his creation. 6. What attitude adjustment was needed by Israel in order to fulfill their side of the covenant of being God’s light to the nations? How might the Christian church heed this message and also bring light to our world?
Lesson 3: Amos the Shepherd from Tekoa Background Information: Amos was a lay person (shepherd and fruit picker) from Judea (Southern Israel) and was called to prophecy to the northern Kingdom of Israel. At the time Northern Israel was experiencing a time of prosperity unknown since the reign of Solomon. The date is around 750 BC while Jeroboam II ruled over Israel and Uzziah reigned over Judah. There was a steady advance in foreign trade and business (8:4 – 6); the development of large land estates (5:11); construction of luxurious summer and winter homes filled with ivory decorated furnishings (3:15, 4:4); newly discovered art and leisure (6: 4 – 6) as well as elaborate religious pomp and ceremony (4:4 – 5; 6: 21 – 24). Bethel and Gilgal were the worship centers for Israel while Jerusalem and the temple continued to be the center of worship for Judea. Wealth notwithstanding, we see a society whose internal health was in rapid decline. Through land-‐grabbing practices, peasants were losing their land and the poor were being marginalized. The bribing of judges, gross mistreatment of the poor and sexual impropriety were all signs of the times that Amos was called to speak out against and warn the people of their impending doom. Amos predicts the devastation awaiting them and by his insight he accurately prophesies what happened later when Assyria rose to power and devastated Israel.
Chapter 1 and 2 outline the countries surrounding Israel and a pronouncement against their behavior. What is interesting is how Amos warms the crowd by speaking of the sins of their neighbors until suddenly the finger points to Judah (closer to home) and then to Northern Israel itself! Glance through chapter 1 but Read chapter 2: 1 – 8 and note the same pattern which reads: “For three transgressions and for four . . .” This formula shows that God could tolerate some disobedience but the fourth is the last straw! 1. List the sins that Amos points out that are taking place in Judah and Israel. Are any of these sins taking place in our society today? Do you consider Canada to be a Christian Nation? In what ways do we profess to hold Christian values? How are we moving away from those values? Read chapters 4 – 5 and continue to identify the ways that Israel has strayed from God and the behaviors that angered Him. 2. What are the similarities between the times and actions of Israel and today in North America. Is there any warning s we should heed? Any behaviors we should change?
3. What is the place of the church in today’s society? Are we part of the problem or are like Amos, are we called to speak out warning and call for change? Chapter 5: 24 is a key verse in Amos. What does this verse mean to you?
Lesson 4: Amos continued Read Chapters 6 and 7
1. Evidently the people of Israel were boasting of their national security and power. The prophet proclaimed woe to those who felt secure in the strength of their nation. He describes their opulence and notes that the rich will be the first to lose everything. Are there ways that we depend on our Canadian well being and reputation to protect us? Do we ever equate our good quality of life with God’s blessing and favour?
2. How do we feel about protecting our resources? (e.g. The Arctic; oil reserves; our land mass verses our population) Are we open to sharing or rather preserving what we have?
3. Vs. 8 – 10, God swears his wrath, which guarantees that the oracle will come true. Since cremation was not a practice of Israel, it tells of a plague because that is the only time bodies would be burned. Today we are very vulnerable to new disease and viruses. Is this a divine punishment or a natural consequence of our lifestyles?
4. Vs. 12 – “You have turned justice in to poison” – the systems are corrupt. Think of one or two systems in our culture that if not corrupted, favour the rich over the poor. (Lo Debar means “no thing” and Karnaim means “horns” – all to say that their conquests and their strength will amount to nothing.) Consider our justice system, our health care system and our education system. Do the wealthy receive any advantages?
5. Chapter 7 contains the vision of Locusts, Fire and the Plump line and these are identifying themes in Amos. God threatens a famine a pestilence that would wipe out their food but Amos pleads mercy and God relents. God then threatens fire and again Amos pleads for his people and God relents. Now the Lord sets a “plumb line” -‐ he sets a standard for the people to live up to. The people have not lived up to his standards of holiness since God is not an arbitrary judge, deserved judgment would fall. What standards of holiness has Jesus established for us (beatitudes)? How well to we measure up to that plumb line? Read Chapters 8 – 9
6. The chapter continues to point out the ways that Israel has hurt the poor. Verse 11 predicts the worst famine of all, but it is not a famine of bread, but the famine of God’s word to the people. God says they will seek the word of the Lord, but not find it. We have the assurance through the “Word made Flesh” and the presence of the Holy Spirit that God will never withdraw his word or presence from us. However, false teachings can drown out the voice of God among us. Name some of the false message of the extreme right in Christianity and the false message of the extreme left.
Summary of issues: Economic Exploitation; Religious Hypocrisy; Legal injustice; Boastful Complacency; Luxurious Indulgence
7. What is the message of hope found in chapter 9? Is there a message for us today?
Lesson 5: The Book of Joel and the Locusts As Amos was sent to the Northern Kingdom of Israel, calling them to repent and turn back to God, Joel was sent to Judah with the same message. The dating of this book is in much debate – anywhere from 850 – 750 BCE or 600 BCE or as early as 400 BCE. The debate is whether the book was written before the Exile to Babylon or after. What is clear is that a severe plague of locusts had struck Judah, ruining all of the crops. The people were trying to make sense of this tragedy afflicting them and Joel used the opportunity to point them away from earthly securities to security in God. Read Chapter 1
1. Scholars believe that the plague of locusts was a real event, not a metaphor and that the infestation had caused great devastation and famine. It is a story that will be told for generations. Joel told the people to mourn this tragedy. Consider the more recent tragedies such as hurricane Katrina and the earthquakes in Haiti and Chile. How do you process events like this? Where is God’s hand in it all?
2. Why does Joel call the people to repent? Did their sin cause the event or is it an opportunity to get their priorities right?
3. How does God use hard times to call us back to him?
Read Chapter 2: 1 -‐ 11 1. What does “The Day of the Lord” mean to you? Has this already occurred or is it yet to be? For
Joel, the plague of locusts was like a mini “Day of the Lord” but that there is a greater day when God’s wrath will be poured out upon the earth. Do you feel that there will be a great day of judgment for the earth?
Now read the contrast of hope in verses 12 -‐ 27 2. Chapter 2: 13: what does this verse mean to you in contrast to the “Day of the Lord”? Can God
relent from sending judgment?
3. What are some of the promises spelled out in the rest of the verses? Why can the people feel confident and “Be not afraid” in verse 21. What will bring about these great blessings to God’s people? What changes in their behavior would bring promise and hope?
Read verses 28 – 32, and also read Acts 2: 14 -‐ 24
4. How does the New Testament help us understand the “Day of the Lord”? How does Peter see Pentecost as fulfilling this Scripture?
5. Read verse 1 of Chapter 3. Has this been fulfilled yet? Will the Jewish people be saved and will other nations be punished for their poor treatment of the Jews?
Read Chapter 3: 1 -‐ 16
6. Notice the reversal of language from beating swords into plowshares (read Isaiah 2: 1 – 4). What might this be about? When is it necessary to either literally or figuratively take up arms for God? In this context, God is rebuking the nations that have tormented Israel and Judah for they have been enemies of God. What are the spiritual enemies of God today that harm the Christian community and how might we take up arms against these spiritual enemies.
Close by reading out loud Chapter 3: 17 – 21 Are there any images of hope and peace from these words that are meaningful to you today? Key Themes in Joel
1. A Call to rely only upon the sufficiency of God 2. God’s sovereignty is guiding the affairs of earth’s history toward its final goal 3. He alone is God 4. Qualities defining God: grace, mercy loving kindness, patience, justice, righteousness 5. Calls for true worship 6. The place of prayer and repentance required for healing. 7. God may allow other nations to chastise Judah, but he will preserve a remnant to lead the
people in triumph. 8. The Day of the Lord.
The Book of Joel tries to make sense of the horrible tragedies that can happen to a people of God. The plagues of locust were real and quite devastating to the economy. The people are neither innocent nor guilty, just as New Orleans was not an innocent city, but neither was hurricane Katrina punishment for their guilt. But in the midst of great difficulty, God can call us to great awareness of how we can better live and know blessing in the midst of struggle. Where Amos truly lists the many ways that the people of God had strayed from truth and justice and warns of danger, Joel is written to people already in crisis. In some ways there is not always a direct link between prosperity and good behavior or tragedy and bad behavior. But in all things, God wants to reach us with his truth and call us to live for him because ultimately, his blessings will prevail.
Lesson 6: The Book of Hosea: A Most Unusual Love Story
The book of Hosea is written as an allegory comparing God’s love for Israel to Hosea’s love for his wife. Unfortunately, his wife is a harlot and is repeatedly unfaithful to him, yet Hosea repeatedly takes her back as his wife when he had every right (according to the day) to stone her for unfaithfulness. The story of Hosea’s life becomes the story of Israel as he calls them to return their hearts back to the God who loves them to distraction. Hosea prophesied to the Northern Kingdom after Amos and his ministry lasted over 26years according to the list of kings who reigned during his time. It was a very tumultuous time for Israel as each king is murdered by his successor. Assyria is pressing closer and will eventually overtake Israel, thus Hosea’s call to repent and return to their true love before disaster comes.
Hosea is one of the most remarkable books of the Old Testament. No other messenger gives so complete an outline of the ways of God with His earthly people as does Hosea:
1) God suffers when His people are unfaithful to Him; 2) God cannot condone sin; 3) God will never cease to love His own; and, consequently 4) He seeks to win back those who have forsaken Him.
Read Chapter 1
1. It is uncertain whether Hosea was told to marry someone who was already unchaste, or that she became such a person afterward. What is more important to consider is that Hosea heard God’s word through a hard and tragic experience. What are some ways that we hear God speak in the difficult experiences of our lives?
2. God makes it clear that Hosea is suffering not because of something he did, but because of the actions of another. God also suffers because of our actions and rejection of his love. Although none of us are ever truly innocent, we do suffer because of the sins of another, such as a drunk driver killing another. What are some means of coping when those who are innocent suffer? Do people blame God? Hosea made the depth of his own grief as a doorway to discover deeper truths of God. Can you share any experience where this has happened to you? Hosea understands how God suffers as we suffer.
3. Though Hosea may be innocent in his suffering, Israel is not innocent in their suffering and God wants them to connect their actions with the consequences. What are some actions in our society that are reaping painful consequences? For example, are their natural consequences to immorality? Greed? Others . . . . Quote: “We are free to sin but never free to escape the wages of that sin”.
4. “You are not my people” is not God rejecting Israel but rather, Israel acting as if they are not God’s people, similar to someone saying, “I don’t even know you anymore.” What are some things that happen within Christianity when God might desire to disown us and say, “You are not representing me – you are not my people!”? And yet, in verse 10, God in his abundance promises that they will be like the sand in the sea! God never gives up on “his people”.
Read Chapter 2
5. In chapter 2: 5; Gomer says, “I will go after my lovers . . .” Who are these lovers and what do they give or offer her ? Notice how they meet her physical needs but not her heart needs. What are ways that we pursue physical comforts and conveniences while ignoring the longings of our heart that only God can fill? What is the mercy in verse 6, “I will hedge up her way with thorns . . .”
6. Vs 8: “She did not know that it was I who gave her grain, wine . . .” Israel gave credit to the wrong god for the prosperity and abundance that they were enjoying. What are some “gods” that we give credit for our wealth as a Canadian country? How might those false gods fail us in coming years?
7. Vs 14: God will always try to woo us back with his love. When our false gods prove empty, God is ready to take us back and so we see in Chapter 3:1, Hosea is also instructed to take Gomer back and love her once again. The book of Hosea is filled with these mood swings from wrath and frustration to love and mercy. When are we most open to hearing God’s voice? Will North Americans ever reach a point where they may be more open to God’s call?
8. Vs 15: In the Valley of Achor, Israel had a distressful experience during their entrance into Palestine. Now that place of unhappy memory will be a door of hope on this new day. Can you think of any circumstance where that may have been true in your life, where an unhappy memory has been also a reminder of God’s faithfulness.
9. Vs. 18: Security in disarmament. It is interesting that we have thought, “The one with the biggest guns wins”, but in reality, the greater our weapons, the less secure we have become. Why is there security in no arms at all? What does that mean literally as a nation in war and figuratively in the armaments of our own hearts?
Read Chapter 3
10. In Chapter 3, Hosea is told to take back Gomer, as God continues to take back Israel and to take
us back when we seek the love of others over Him. How do you deal with those who have hurt you? What stops you from forgiving and entering into relationship once again?
Love is hard. We like to think of all the warm fuzzy feelings surrounding our special loves, but it is so much more complex and complicated to truly give ourselves for the sake of another’s well being. It costs God greatly to love us and we also pay a hefty price in learning to love others. In this story, you will never hear about Hosea and his needs! God doesn’t come to us with his needs either – he loves for our sake. Learning to love for the sake of others is our life long challenge. The rest of the book of Hosea continues with the ways that Israel has been unfaithful and acted as a prostitute toward God – how their priests have been corrupt and other acts of injustice. Close by reading Hosea 11: 1 – 11 and just allow the passion of God’s love for you soak in. Substitute your name in place of Israel or Ephraim.
Lesson 7: Obadiah’s Vision regarding Edom The name, Obadiah, means “Servant of Yahweh” and was a fairly common name in Jewish culture. We know nothing of this prophet but it is estimated that he wrote his vision down after the exile of Judah into Babylon around the mid-‐fifth century before Christ’s coming. The prophet does not speak out against Judah or Israel, as they have already been greatly punished through the exile and are in the process of rebuilding. His words are directed against an enemy of Israel, Edom. Obadiah is the smallest of the Minor Prophets and it has one primary message – that the enemies of God will face consequences for their actions. Read through the book of Obadiah 1. Edom was the descended nation of Esau, the brother of Jacob. Jacob and Esau never got along, right from inside the womb. (Read Gen. 25: 21 – 28) These stories are disturbing as it seems that Esau always gets the short end of the stick. Jacob tricks him out of the blessing of his father and then his birthright. 2. As you look at the story of Jacob stealing Esau’s birthright, what do you learn of the character of Esau? Of Jacob? Of Isaac? Of Rebecca? Who has their sites on long-‐term gain and who is after immediate gratification? Which would make the better seed of a nation? Note that Isaac was not only physically blind, but he was also blind to the potential of his sons. Why did God not just make Jacob come first from the womb? 3. Even though eventually Jacob and Esau’s relationship is restored, the two separate nations formed by their offspring are enemies. This is often considered the beginning or at least the story behind the animosity between Arab nations and the Jews. The prophet Obadiah notes that the nations should act toward each other like brothers, not like enemies and so in verses 10 – 14, he reprimands Edom for being a guilty bystander, who disassociated itself from the miseries of her kinfolk in Israel. Is there a time when “we” have taken pleasure in another’s misfortune? As a nation? As a church? As individuals? 4.. Obadiah wants Edom to be punished by God for all the ills that they have done to Israel. Do you ever feel the desire to wish ill upon an enemy? Who/what are the enemies of God? It is important to consider what it means to be a Christian nation verses other nations. Jesus was clear that his kingdom is not of this earth. We may resent that other religions seem to have more rights that Christians to practice their faith, but the truth is that we know the importance of freedom of religion. Each individual MUST be free to practice faith according to his or her conscience. There may be Muslim nations where one faith is enforced, but Canada or the United States may never ever declare itself a Christian nation, even if it is founded on Biblical principles. This is frustrating but necessary. God’s enemies are not “nations” but ideologies. 4. How do we balance this book with the words of Jesus found in Matthew 5: 43 -‐ 48? Is there a difference between justice in the Old Testament and New Testament? 5. What are some ways that we can relate to and pray for other nations and faiths such as the Arab Muslim community?
6. This article from the internet by Bob Westbrook (copyright 2004) illustrates to me the danger of trying to identify Edom with a nation of today and pushing for the retribution mentioned in the writing of Obadiah. It simply gives license to violence that is contrast to the ways of Jesus.
This book (Obadiah) though brief, contains what I believe are allusions to events as varied as the destruction of both Temples in Jerusalem by the Babylonians and the Romans, to the Islamic seizure of the Temple Mount, to Arab complicity in the Nazi Holocaust, to Palestinian terrorism, to the destruction of the Muslim power base in Saudi Arabia, to the Jewish repossession of the Temple Mount and all the land promised by God.
Who are the Edomites, in the modern setting? There are two ways to determine this. The first is by comparing other Scriptures, and the second is to examine the specific characteristics of this group of people.
The most compelling Scriptural evidence to identify the Edomites is found in Ezekiel 36:5. The first fifteen verses of that chapter give God's viewpoint of the preeminent issue of our day, the ownership and eventual disposition of what the world calls the "West Bank." Verse 5 describes a conspiracy between the nations of the world and "Edom" to misappropriate that land that God had granted to Jacob. Therefore, we can conclude that Edom, in the modern context, is the West Bank Palestinians. (http://www.trumpetsounds.com/obadiahcommentary.html)
The message of Obadiah is not to be extrapolated into the various conflicts and wars raging today. It does, however, have a message for us to heed. First of all, God is sovereign and intervenes in the ways of humanity. Jacob was born second so that God go against the notion that automatically the eldest would be heir, and show that He will select the most gifted. An example today might be Queen Elizabeth leaving the crown to Prince Charles as he is next in line, even though he has not shown any ability to be a good leader. Princess Anne would have made a far better monarch. The second message is that:
“What is referred to is not the conquest of one nation over another but the salvation of the unsaved by God – as he forms His Kingdom. Such is human sin that even this final declaration can be perverted i.e. in that it can be used to sanctify any kind of military or national triumph, identifying the cause of the nation with the cause of God. Where the Lord rules, humanity serves him, and does not reign sovereignly in his own right.”
This quote reminds us that God’s kingdom is not yet here on earth and that his enemies are spiritual enemies. As followers of the way of Christ, we must seek the things of God, not the things of this world and in that way, enemies will be vanquished and Jesus will be Lord.
Lesson 8: Habakkuk asks Why? The author of this book asks the same questions that Job asked, along with both believers and unbelievers alike. If God truly governs the world why does he permit violence and oppression against the innocent and other tragedies that cause such sorrow? The origin of this prophetic writing is unclear and seems to have been edited from its original form, but the burden of Habakkuk continues to echo our own struggles with the apparent unfairness of life as the wicked flourish and the good die young. In that, this writing is timeless and has a word for each of us to hear. Read Chapter 1 The writing style of Habakkuk alternates between the complaint of the prophet and the response of God to him. Verses 2 – 4 are Habakkuk’s first series of complaints.
1. How free do you feel to complain to God when life just doesn’t seem to make sense? How have you found comfort is expressing your honest feelings to God? In what ways can prayer help clarify and validate your feelings? (Interesting note that feelings remain subjective as long as they are unexpressed but by speaking or writing them, it enables us to objectify and thus consider what they mean.)
2. What are Habakkuk’s main complaints to God?
3. I know of a young social worker who declared that she could no longer believe in a God who allows infants and young children to suffer the way she daily sees them suffer abuse and rejection. How might you answer that young woman? Habakkuk’s cry is similar in that he asks God why he is made to look at injustice and why God tolerates wrong. How do you make sense of suffering?
4. Can you think or share an experience where it was important to your integrity to take the “high
road” in a situation, but the one who chose deceitful ways seemed to fair better? How did that make you feel?
5. Verses 5 – 11 record God’s perspective of the situation. What phrases offer some
encouragement and why? What words seem discouraging and difficult to understand?
6. Does God use one nation to punish another or is it the consequences of living in a sinful world that wars continue and innocent suffer?
7. Chapter 1: 12 – 2:1 record Habakkuk’s second complaint. He acknowledges that God may
ordain the wicked to punish the righteous but does not understand why the wicked are allowed to prosper from their plunder. By the net that he has caught them like fish, he lives in luxury. This does not sit well with Habakkuk. Consider if there are situations where poor nations feel that North America has lived well off of the plunder of their nations. Consider how the slave trade boosted the economy of the Southern USA, or how wealth has been accumulated from foreign oil, diamonds, the expansion of the British Empire, etc. Are we the innocent or the guilty? Will our gains turn to dust one day?
8. As arrogant as Habakkuk sounds in 2:1, there is a cry of faith that the God who ordained the universe will answer his questions and make sense of it all some how.
Read Chapter 2
9. Vs. 2 – God tells Habakkuk to write it down because the answer may not be understood immediately but will make sense to future generations. Vs. 3: “For the revelation awaits an appointed time” How does our need for immediate gratification differ from God’s perspective of time and reward?
10. There are five woes listed in the remaining verses that call us to consider whether we might be guilty of any wrongdoings against the character of God.
a. Vs. 6 Plundering: Taking by violence what does not belong to you. b. Vs. 9 Economic Exploitation – exploiting the needs of another at a price – for example
selling medication at too high a price but those desperate will pay for it. c. Vs. 12 Crime and cruel violence – violence and bloodshed are the means by which
civilizations are built. Every nation on earth rests on some sort of foundation of conquest and most have maintained or expanded through weaponry and violence.
d. Vs 15 Exploitation of individual self-‐esteem or taking advantage of another in a weakened condition.
e. Vs 19 Idolatry that is the root of the other four woes. Idolatry is calling a bad thing good and a good thing bad – attributing the power of God to a non-‐god and redefining what God alone defines as good and evil.
11. In light of these lists of woes, is there any nation that is truly innocent? Will God’s judgment and punishment not be warranted upon us all? Who deserves what? What does verse 20 mean to you in light of this revelation?
Read Chapter 3 Habakkuk’s Prayer as a Hymn (Note “shigionoth” is an unknown Hebrew term, likely a literary or musical term as is “selah”)
12. Habakkuk, like Job when he questioned God, steps back in humility and considers who is God
and looks for a new perspective. It is like he is singing a hymn to remind himself of God’s true nature. How has entering into worship helped you with your questions and struggles? In a sense, Habakkuk is now asking God to be God, even though he isn’t sure what that means. The hymn he sings celebrates that the God who is above creations and beyond history is on the march – all should tremble at what that implies.
13. Verses 8 – 10 raise the whole problem of the involvement of creation in the judgment of God that is beyond the scope of this study but you may want to discuss it at another time.
14. The psalm of Habakkuk ends with a statement of trust beyond understanding. “Yet I . . .” are
very powerful words of faith. When reason fails us and it is difficult to make sense of life, yet I will rejoice in the Lord. Habakkuk trusts in the God of creation, the God of mercy and justice and love. He invites us to be honest before God with our questions, but also to accept that we may never understand. Close with reading Psalm 13 – another “yet I” hymn.