|
"From the Majors to the Minors" And we're back! Here comes the Minor Prophets, who ironically require a little more time for my commentary! I guess there's 12 of them and only 4 in the majors so maybe that has a little something to do with it! Here we go…and we're glad you're here with us! HOSEA... this book is truly one of the more unique ones within the list of minor prophets. God tells Hosea in chapter, to go marry a prostitute, so it can illustrate how Israel has acted by turning against the Lord and worshiping other gods. After marriage and children, she returns to prostitution which leads to God telling Hosea to go love his wife again, even though she was adulterous. In doing so he will once again illustrate that the Lord loves his real even when they're unfaithful. So he buys her back for 15 pieces of silver, 5 bushels of barley and a measure of wine. He has her remain celibate, even from him to further illustrate God's honor and patience with his people. God continues to warn Israel through Hosea, but they don't cry out to the Lord was sincere hearts as seen in 7:14. In chapter 8 verse 7,, there's a memorable phrase for God says, "they have planted the wind and will harvest the whirlwind." You may have heard that quoted from time to time in different context of consequences that come about due to irresponsible behavior. God give us a beautiful illustration in chapter 9 that the prophet is a watchmen over Israel. Other phrases that you've probably heard frequently would be from 10:12, which says "to plow up the hard ground of your hearts because now is the time to seek the Lord!" Hosea ends his writing in chapter 14, inviting the people to bring their confessions and return to the Lord asking for forgiveness and to be graciously received. JOEL... Joel has a verse that is repeated in Acts 16, when Paul and Silas are helping the Philippine jailer come to faith. They quite Joel 2:32, which says "anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved". And Joel's day, there had been a plague of locus, which is devastated the land. In chapter 2, he makes a call to repentance and rather than tear their clothing and grief, tear their hearts instead, and return to the Lord, who is merciful, compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He invites the priests to stand and weep and pray, making intercession for the people. And then Joel makes a promise of restoration, that the Lord will pour out his spirit upon all people and their sons and daughters will prophesy, old men will dream dreams, and young men will see visions. Later in chapter 3, the famous quote of they are to "hammer their plowshares into swords and pruning hooks into spears" as they are to call out the warriors of the land. AMOS... this guy kinda gets on everyone's nerves. He's a plainspoken farmer and sheep heard her but like the blues Brothers… He's on a mission from God! He confronts the people of their disobedience and let them know that their sacrifices and songs are just noise in God's ears in chapter 5. But when Amos gets to chapter 8, he has a very pointed statement in verses 11 & 12. "For the time is surely coming, says the Sovereign Lord, when a famine will come on the land, but not a famine of bread or water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. People will stagger everywhere from sea to sea searching for the Word of the Lord, running here going there, but they will not find it." It's amazing how the lack of regard for God's word seems to cycle time after time in our culture! OBADIAH... this guy made sure to predict very clearly how difficult it would be for the country of Eden, who was a neighboring nation that had invaded Judah on several occasions and persecuted God's people. In verse 15 of the only chapter of the book, Obadiah says clearly, "the day is near when I the Lord will judge the godless nations! As you've done to Israel, so it will be done to you. All your evil deeds will fall back on your own heads." Though this is a very short book, God wanted to add one more voice for his people to hear his protective nature and the vengeance he will seek on those who have persecuted his children. JONAH... now we're in familiar territory. You've probably wondered as I did for a while why Jonah was so stubborn not wanting to simply go on one trip that God ask him to do go preach. But Jonah had a hatred and fear of the Ninevites. He didn't want God to give them a second chance. He didn't want them to repent. He wanted to see judgment. When a storm wouldn't calm down, Jonah acknowledged that he was the problem, and the men reluctantly threw him overboard, which calmed the storm, but created a dilemma for Jonah. Three days in the belly of a whale. But at least he knew enough in chapter 2 to pray. He cried out to the Lord and his great trouble For a brief moment, can you imagine what that would've been like inside the whale for three days? I can't even stand an MRI for 30 minutes let alone something like that! God graciously has the whale cough Jonah up on the shore. Can you imagine what he look like with seaweed in his hair and his clothes bleached out from the digestive acid of the whale? I think I'd listen to a scary guy like that telling me to repent, wouldn't you! And he goes to preach in the invites, repent and are spared. But Jonah pouts. He's actually angry that God had mercy. We'll find in the next book of Micah. God has a lot to say about mercy and how we are to love it. So Jonah ends with him being in the heat and then a Gourd sprouts up and he has shade and then it dies and he goes to whining again. And the book ends with God confronting him because he really still didn't have compassion for the 120 thousand people living in spiritual darkness! He didn't want God to feel sorry for a big city with a big problem! May we take it to heart the compassion that God has on the masses in multitudes of people, and do our best to reflect his love and patience for their souls!! MICAH... now this guy gets to tell people where Jesus is gonna be born! A direct quote from chapter 5 verse two, "but you will Bethlehem, are only a small village among all of the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel will come from you. One whose origins are from the distant past". There it is… Messianic prophecy at its best! I also like most of the other profits expresses grief over Samaria and Jerusalem, judgment against wealthy, oppressors, warning against false profits, judgment against his real leaders, but makes it clear that the Lord will have a future rain in chapter 4 there's hope for restoration in Israel exile. He also mentioned that a remnant will be purified, but as they are, he will put it into all witchcraft, Fortune telling, sacred pillars in order that you might never again worship the work of your own hands (5:13). Now I find that one really interesting because I've come to understand a little bit better through the years is the difference between commandment number one and commandment number two. #1 is "no other gods before Me", & #2 is "no grave images". I believe the difference is that God is saying "don't idolize anything I'VE made… And don't idolize anything YOU'VE made! The chapter 6 is my favorite simply because of one verse, verse eight. I love the king James Version on this one… "He has shown thee, O man, what is good and what the Lord requires of thee. But to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with Thy God. Now that's boiling things down! And I love the way Micah winds down his book reminding the people how compassionate God is in chapter 7. He says in verse 18, "where is another God like You, who pardons the guilt of the remnant, overlooking the sins of His special people? You will not stay angry with Your people forever, because You delight in showing unfailing love." What a compassionate, consistent, & grace-giving God our Heavenly Father is! NAHUM... interestingly enough, Nahum writes 125 years after Jonah and the Nineveh thing. While they repented previously, they have fallen away from God at this point. And they help pronounce his judgment on Nineveh. God makes it very clear that repentance is not a one time momentary thing. It's a condition and posture of the heart that needs to remain submissive and respectful of the God of all creation! HABAKKUK... we get a good quote from the apostle Paul later from the writing of this prophet in 2:4, which says, "the righteous will live by faith". But in the midst of his three chapter letter, this prophet file some complaints with God! A complains of how long he has to call for help to God. He sees violence everywhere and that's wearing him out. He surrounded by people who loved to argue and fight in the law is more paralytic than paralegal! God replies, letting him know. I'm doing something that you wouldn't believe if I told you! He was raising up the Babylonians, who were notoriously cruel, which led to Habakkuk's 2nd complaint… "Why don't You just wipe us all out, God?" to which God replies, write this down and take this message to everyone else for a future time. Wait patiently because the end is coming slowly. Look at the crowd who trust in themselves, and yet their lives are crooked. (that's when he leaves in "the righteous will live by faith"). Habakkuk finishes his book in chapter 3, with a prayerful / musical response to God's answer. He says "he's heard all about the Lord and is filled with all his amazing works, and even in his anger, he remembers his mercy. As he sang and prayed he said he saw God moving across the land coming is brilliant as the sunrise with pestilence marching before and plagues following close behind! He shatters the everlasting mountains and levels the eternal hills. The mountains watch & tremble as the sun and moon stand still in the sky. He celebrates the fact that God trampled the nations and rescued His chosen people. And he rejoices in the God of his salvation because the sovereign Lord is his strength!" He too ends on a very positive and holy note, indicating the body power, and compassion of God ZEPHANIAH... It only takes three chapters for this guy to prophesy and worn God's people passionately! He talks about the impending destruction that's coming when judgment will sweep away everything against Judah! The reason being is they "no longer ask for the Lord's guidance or seek his blessing" in 1:6. His complaint was the nation's "spiritual complacency". And the terrible day of the Lord will come swiftly with bitter tears, so he calls them to repentance in chapter 2, urging them to gather, act now, and seek the Lord, and perhaps the Lord will protect them. There is judgment against the Philistine's, against Moab and Ammon, & against Ethiopia and Assyria. Jerusalem gets spanked as well in chapter 3, as they are described, as I'm trusting, resistant and refusing all correction. Their profits are arrogant liars seeking their own gain, and even so, God is still there in the city! God says he will purify the speech of all people, so we all can worship the Lord together And then one of my favorite verses in 3:17, which says, "for the Lord, your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take the light in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs." Did you catch that? He sings over you. I've sung over our kids and grandkids through the years, but not as much as my wife has. Sue Linn's song when the kids were of napping age as toddlers was going back-and-forth from "Jesus Loves Me" to "Oh How I Love Jesus". Is there a song that it seems like you would sing to the Lord right now? Or maybe a song that you feel He has sung over you? "It is well with my Soul? How great Thou Art? "All My Life You Have Been Faithful? Or maybe the song by Brandon Lake and Jelly Roll…"Hard-Fought Hallelujah"? Listen for his song over you… And don't be afraid to sing back! HAGGAI... we're getting near the end now! My hope is this is just a reference for you to go back and remember and maybe reflect that this simple abbreviated reminder document of the big dog and a little dog prophets resounding God's word to the world long ago and even today! This guy is good for a couple of chapters and begins with a call to rebuild the temple! He follows up with the need for obedience to God's word, and the Lord sparked the enthusiasm of Zable, the governor of Judah and the whole remnant of God's people as they began to work on the house of the Lord as chapter 1 ends. God gives a warning and a confrontation that they had been building their own houses in verse nine of chapter 1, rather than restoring the temple. ZECHARIAH... as negative and discouraging is ha Guy was, Zachariah is just the opposite being encouraging from day one! He's honest with the turning from the evil ways, but he motivates them to complete the temple restoration for the coming Messiah! And here's another mess organic prophecy in 9:9… "Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous in victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey… Even a donkey's colt." And that was the picture as Jesus rode into town at the triumph entry as he began the week we call Passion Week. MALACHI... and last but not least, this guy comes in at 430 BC, being the last voice from heaven to be heard before 400 years of silence! And we'll find out next week that silence was deafening! There are the basic encouragement in Malachi of the Lord's love for Israel, but also there is tremendous warning against making unworthy sacrifices & a warning to the priests who didn't show reverence. And of course, a great call to faithfulness as chapter 2 ends. This is the moment when God confronts them for their mockery of marriage and frequent divorce. He confronts those who have been unfaithful while their wives have been faithful for 15 and 16 plainly state. They are to guard their heart and remain loyal to their wife of their youth because God hates divorce And when that happens, the wife is overwhelmed with cruelty . So God doesn't stutter on that one. I remember hearing Stephen and Chapman and a concert one time take time to talk about that verse, indicating that in their opinion God isn't saying, he hates divorced people. He just hates the tearing away and the brokenness and device. It always happens when divorce occurs. I think we'd all agree… We hate to see the pain in the hearts of people and families who experience that. He also mentions how they have wearied the Lord with words, and in particular by saying that "all who do evil are good in the Lord's sight and He's pleased with them." God seems to get pretty upset and his leaders say everything's fine and it really isn't! I know you'll quickly recall the last couple of things in the last book of the Old Testament that are very memorable. The first is the stewardship meditation that we've heard forever of how if you're not tithing you're cheating God and our God challenges His people to bring the tie into the storehouse and He will unleash the resources of heaven and overwhelm us with blessing! Yep, you've heard that one quite a few times with every capital stewardship campaign! And it's true… God's shovel is much bigger than ours, and when we give back to Him, acknowledging His Lordship, and that He owns it all, He reminds us He will generously take care of us! And then in chapter 4… The final words… The day of judgment is coming burning, like a furnace, and the air and wicked will be burned up like straw… But for those who fear the name of the Lord, they will rise with healing and his wings and go free! And then one of the favorite promises as the Old Testament comes to close… In verse five, the Bible says "look, I am sending you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the Lord arrives. His preaching will turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers ." Jesus indicated that the one who came in the spirit of Elijah was John the Baptist… And they missed him! So this amazing covenant of all of history up to this point comes to a close. We've covered so much, and yet we've left out so much! My prayer today is that you and I will continue to do what we talked about early on and Nehemiah 8, which is... the ELEVATION of the Word of God, the EXPLANATION of the Word of God, the CELEBRATION of God's People, and the further INVESTIGATION of the Word of God... God bless you for staying committed to at least collecting these things so you can look back at them later! It is the word of God to changes lives. And may we be faithful in always opening our hearts and minds as we open the scriptures and allow them to sink deeply into our lives. Love you guys… gr And catch you next week for the 400 years of silence (the period between the old and new testaments), written by our friend, Bobby Sorrells who preaches at Crossroads in Greenville, Indiana.
|
