Minor Prophets: Hosea, Amos, Micah, Nahum, Zephaniah, and Habakkuk

Hosea 1:1-10

The metaphor of an adulterous woman to represent the people of Israel when they had turned away from God was a familiar one. When the prophet Hosea married an adulterous woman, people knew exactly what he was saying to them. Then he named his first son Jezreel, as a reminder of the bloodbath that Jehu had wrought upon the house of Ahab in the Valley of Jezreel. His daughter's name, Lo-Ruhamah, means "Not Pitied." His third child, a son, was named Lo-Ammi, "Not My People." The children's names were warnings of what would happen if the nation did not repent. The truly amazing thing is that when Gomer went off to pursue her adulterous pastimes and fell into slavery, Hosea bought her back! God punishes his people when they deserve it, but he is always willing to buy us back if we repent.

Hosea 11:1-11

Hosea preached while Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were the kings of Judah, and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel. Assyria threatened Israel and forced them to pay tribute money to keep the peace. Ahaz, king of Judah, made an alliance with Assyria against Syria and Israel. Unfortunately it just meant that Judah also became a vassal of Assyria. Both Judah and Israel tried to ally with Egypt (at different times), but both times ended in political disaster for the Jews when the Egyptians were defeated and the Jews deported. How ironic that the children of Israel made alliances with their former master, Egypt! How sad that they trusted in politics rather than God! Paul was devastated that his own people, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and the people of God, continued to refuse to accept God's plan for them. See also Romans 9:1-5.

Amos

Amos 7:7-17

After the death of David's son Solomon, Israel and Judah broke apart into two kingdoms. Remember how David brought the Ark to Jerusalem, which meant that all adult men had to show up there a few times a year? The first king of Israel, Jeroboam, figured that his kingdom wouldn't last long if his people were going down to Jerusalem to worship, so he set up shrines at Dan, in the north of Israel, and Bethel, in the south. Each shrine contained a golden calf. This made it "convenient" for people to worship without going all the way to Jerusalem. The kings of Israel did quite a number of evil deeds, but the writers of 1 and 2 Kings gave them the worst marks for "continuing in the sin of Jeroboam," that is, maintaining the apostate shrines at Dan and Bethel.

Amos 8:1-12

My daughter has been reading a novel by a Christian writer, and in it a character who used to be very devout has turned into a person who really is a bit poisonous. Another character quotes a Bible verse to show that the first character has lost her salvation. My daughter recognized the verse and looked it up to confirm that it was originally directed at a church, not an individual. She wanted to know what I thought of the practice of applying verses in this way. In general, the practice is a bad one. God has plans and strategies for the salvation of the universe. Individuals need salvation; nations, as well as individuals, may or may not participate in the strategy.

A message meant for a nation might make sense when it is applied to a person, but the burden of proof is on the person using scripture in this way. For example, the LORD tells the Kingdom of Israel through Amos, "This is the end for my people Israel. I won't forgive them again. ... You [Israel] will go all over the earth, seeking a message from me, the LORD. But you won't find one." The nation has been cut off from God for its behavior. But many, many other scriptures tell us that God always answers the earnest prayers of individuals who seek him and will forgive all who truly repent. I am unaware of any scripture that says God will not answer the prayers of people who belong to him – the petition may be denied or the response delayed, but eventually there will be an answer. So it would be incorrect to apply these verses that were meant for the Kingdom of Israel to an individual.

Micah: Prophecy during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, about 740 to 700 BC

Micah 1:1-16, On the coming Exile (2/29/16)

Let’s spend most of the rest of the year reading the prophets, beginning with some of the minor prophets that we haven’t paid much attention to before. What’s the difference between a major prophet and a minor prophet? Major prophets have long books; minor prophets have short books. That’s it. No other difference. We’ll read them in roughly chronological order, although many of the dates are somewhat conjectural.

The prophet Micah tells us in the first verse when he worked, so it’s easy to date the book from about 740 to 700 BC. Notice that “the word of the LORD” came to Micah. Generally speaking, prophets heard God’s message, and usually they passed it on orally. After a time, many of the prophetic messages were recorded in writing, either by the prophet personally or by a disciple. The message of this first chapter is that God is coming (vss. 2-4) because Judah and Israel have sinned greatly (vs. 5) and are going to be punished (vss. 6-7). Micah is really sad about this (vss. 8-9), but predicts that the only future he sees is exile (vss. 10-16).

Micah 2:1-13, Prophecy against the rich (3/1/16)

Micah 2 shows two of the most prominent characteristics of prophecy. One trait that almost all prophets share is that they tell you or your society in detail what you’re doing wrong right now. I heard somebody say yesterday that the country’s a mess. How? She didn’t say, so that isn’t a prophetic message, it’s just whining. Micah, in contrast, says exactly what the rich are doing wrong. They are lying awake nights thinking up evil things to do, and in the morning they seize fields and houses that don’t belong to them. They try to silence anyone who points out their failings, and they assume that no harm will come to them (either because they are the Chosen People or because they are rich, I’m not sure which). They prey on foreigners, women, and children, who are specifically protected by God’s Law.

Then in vss. 13-14, Micah promises that sometime in the future God will preserve a remnant – just a little bit – of the nation for himself. The theme of “the preservation of the remnant” is a common element of Messianic prophecy.

Micah 3:1-12, Prophecy against oppressors (3/2/16)

Another characteristic of prophets is that they are keen observers of government. In this chapter, Micah takes aim at unjust rulers and corrupt religious leaders. Because they have shown no mercy to the people for whom they are responsible, they can expect no mercy from God, to whom they are responsible. Vs. 11 summarizes his criticism of the rulers, priests, and prophets. He marvels again at their conviction that they can come to no harm and then repeats his prediction of destruction in vs. 12.

Micah 4:1-13, Prophecy on the new age to come (3/3/16)

Jerusalem is located on Mount Zion, and a common theme of Messianic prophecy, as we see in vss. 1-2 and 8, is “the exaltation of Zion.” Mt. Zion will be lifted up – metaphorically, I think, but possibly physically – to become the most important place in the world. Everybody will want to come there to be near the LORD, his people, and his temple, so that they can learn about his holy ways. A second theme is that new age is to come (vss. 3-5), and a third theme is that the LORD will restore the remnant of his people (vss. 6-7). However, first there’s going to be exile and restoration (vss. 9-13).

Micah 5:1-15, Prophecy on the Davidic dynasty (3/4/16)

In Micah 5:2-5, we see another common theme of Messianic prophecy, “a shoot from the stump of Jesse.” Bethlehem Ephrathah is the plain Bethlehem that we all know. (There’s another one somewhere else.) It was the home of Jesse, the father of David, and David’s birthplace. So everybody knew that the Messiah, David’s descendant, would also be from Bethlehem. This passage is quoted in Matthew 2:5-6, when Herod asks his advisors where he should send the magi to look for the newborn king. The remnant appears again in vss. 7-9. The rest of the chapter seems to be devoted to repeated warnings that if Israel and Judah don’t change their ways, they’ll be in trouble.

Micah 6:1-16, Israel on trial (3/7/16)

Many prophetic messages contain what amounts to a courtroom scene. Usually God’s people are the defendants, and God is either the prosecutor or the judge. The prophet is sometimes the prosecutor and sometimes the defense attorney. There’s typically an indictment; a listing of crimes, with evidence; an opportunity for the people to offer their defense; a judgment; and a sentence. This chapter of Micah contains all of these elements, and in addition it contains a famous summary of the Law that has been broken: “Do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.” Sometimes God grants a pardon or a suspended sentence, but not this time.

By the way, Omri and Ahab were two kings of Israel, father and son, and their statutes and works were the worship of the idol Baal, not to mention assassination, murder, and theft. Baalism in Israel was a state religion along with the worship of the true God, and it also made inroads into Judah.

Micah 7:1-11, On injustice (3/8/16)

Years ago I saw a one-panel comic, which I think was a Frank & Ernest, where one prophet was saying to another, “Do you ever have one of those days when everything seems like an abomination unto the Lord?” Micah is having one of those days. He’s really discouraged, because no matter where he looks, he sees only evil. Even so, he realizes that if he looks to the LORD, he will be vindicated.

Micah 7:12-20, On the steadfast love of God (3/9/16)

In spite of all our failings, which are numerous, God loves us. Notice that the faithful remnant, who were mentioned before, will be the ones who are pardoned. When my boys were in high school, the biology teacher had a big sign in his room that said, “I respect your right to fail.” God loves sinners (and a good thing, too); nevertheless, if we don’t repent and try to stay faithful, we are unlikely to be pardoned, because God respects our right to fail.

Nahum

Nahum 1:1-15, The vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.

The only thing we know for sure about Nahum is that he was from Elkosh; however, scholars do not agree on where Elkosh was located. He was also an excellent writer. Rabbi Ronald Isaacs characterizes his writing as "powerful, emotional, and dramatic, with brilliant imagery and picturesque phrases" (Messengers of God, 1998). Isaacs says that Nahum probably wrote around 612 B.C.E., when Nineveh was destroyed.

So let's talk about Assyria, of which Nineveh was the capital. Assyria was the major world power for about three centuries before 608 B.C.E. It controlled most of the Middle East and also conquered Egypt, before falling in turn to the Babylonians. The kingdoms of Judah and Israel mostly opposed Assyria, with varying degrees of success. King Ahab of Israel and his allies seem to have fought Assyria to a standstill in 853, but around 841, King Jehu was paying tribute money. In the 730s, King Ahaz of Judah allied himself with Assyria against King Menahem of Israel, and in the 720s, Israel was paying tribute again. Israel allied itself with Egypt, but that didn't do any good, and the Assyrians defeated Israel and deported everyone about 722. Judah managed to hang on against Assyria one way and another by the skin of its teeth, and when Nineveh fell in 612, Judah was still in business. You can read the whole exciting story in 1 and 2 Kings or in Wikipedia.

From Nahum's point of view, Nineveh got what was certainly coming to it.

Nahum 2:1-13, There’s going to be a battle.

Reading Nahum reminds me of watching the movie, "The Two Towers." Everyone is preparing for battle, and it's pretty much the same type of battle: swords, shields, spears, ramparts, walls, siege towers, and rivers that rise up for destruction. Desolation and ruin! But not without human interest - we see the queen and her serving girls taken away into captivity, beating their breasts.

Now, it may be that all battles look alike. It's worth considering, however, that J. R. R. Tolkien was one of the translators of the Jerusalem Bible.

On another note, I saw in the paper the other day that after some sort of reading competition, the children were allowed to choose a book to keep for their very own. One little boy selected a graphic novel. (Graphic novels are like comic books, but with more plot.) The teacher allowed as how that wasn't what she had in mind. The parent wrote to a columnist who is a teacher, who said that graphic novels are fine. If a little boy will read one, that's great, and he should be encouraged. The point is, you should get a Bible that you will read. I happen to like the Jerusalem Bible, but if Good News for Modern Man is what you want to choose for your very own, it's fine with me. Just be sure that whatever good, modern translation you get, it has cross-references and study notes.

Nahum 3:1-19, Assyria will fall.

The book of Nahum is written in poetry. I can tell this in two ways. When I look at the text in Hebrew, the lines look roughly like this:

	Horsemen charging,		flashing sword and glittering spear,
	hosts of slain,		heaps of corpses,
	dead bodies		without end--
	they stumble		over the bodies!

That is the look of poetry. Hebrew prose looks like English prose (except for being written in Hebrew, of course). It fills the lines on the page; and there are no particularly long spaces to indicate the ends of phrases.

However, there is a way you can recognize Hebrew poetry even in your English Bible. Look at verse 2:

We hear the sound of something, the sound of something. We see the movement of something, the movement of something. Whenever you see this kind of parallelism in the Old Testament, you are reading poetry. Sometimes the pairs will be in two consecutive verses. Sometimes (not today) the pairs will contrast with each other, not repeat each other. Look for the poetic couplets as you read about Nineveh's doom.

Zephaniah: Prophecy against Judah during the reign of King Josiah, about 640 to 609 BC

Zephaniah 1:1-9, Prophecy against Judah (3/10/16)

Zephaniah, like Micah, tells us the name of the king who reigned during his prophetic ministry. King Josiah of Judah was exceptional for his time, about 640 to 609 BC, because he worshipped only the one true God. In fact, 2 Kings 22:2 gives him the high accolade that “he always obeyed the LORD, just as his ancestor David had done.”

The rest of Judah, not so much. You will understand why the prophet Zephaniah brought such a harsh message from the LORD if you read 2 Kings 23:1-25. Josiah carried out tremendous reforms, which means that there was a lot to be reformed! I notice that all the king’s sons and officials are going to be punished, but not Josiah himself. He was one of the few good guys of his time.

Zephaniah 1:10-18, Prophecy emphasizing the Day of the LORD (3/11/16)

Zephaniah emphasizes a prophetic theme that Micah only hinted at: the Day of the LORD. Most of the time, God works in time and through history. He calls up a nation to punish his sinful people, as in the Exile, or he uses his own people to punish other peoples who are excessively wicked, as in Joshua’s invasion of Canaan. He rewards his people when they repent, as in the Exodus or the time of the Judges. God works through the agency of human representatives to bring about his will.

The Day of the LORD, however, will be the “end times,” and God will step into history. God will appear personally to bring about judgment and justice. It won’t be pretty.

Zephaniah 2:1-15, Prophecy against Philistia and Cush (3/14/16)

Old Testament prophets spoke not only to God’s people, but also to other nations. You may remember Daniel’s prophecy to Babylon and Jonah’s prophecy to Nineveh. Remember Samson and the Philistines? The Philistines were a coastal Canaanite people who were usually enemies of Israel, although occasionally allies. Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, and Ekron were four of their five chief cities (the other one was Gath). Cush is most likely Ethiopia. It doesn’t matter who you are, God loves you and wants to give you a chance to repent, which is why he had Zephaniah preach to the people of Philistia and Cush.

Zephaniah 3:1-10, Prophecy against Jerusalem (3/15/16)

Remember that one fairly standard part of a prophetic message is an indictment, that is, a listing of all the sins that are being committed by whomever the prophet is talking to. Here Zephaniah reports the LORD’s grievances against Jerusalem and says that the LORD will see them in court. It appears in vss. 9-10 that the few remaining faithful people may be called as witnesses.

Zephaniah 3:11-20, The remnant will be restored (3/16/16)

We read yesterday that Jerusalem is in big trouble because of its sins; however, those few who are left who have been faithful to God, the remnant, will be returned to Jerusalem and rewarded. The restoration of the remnant is a common theme in Messianic prophecy.

Habakkuk: Prophecy after the fall of Judea to Babylonia, about 612-597 BC

Habakkuk 1:1-4, A dialog between the prophet and God (3/17/16)

Zephaniah and other prophets had warned that Jerusalem and Judah were doomed by their own sin. Not many decades later, the nation was defeated by the Babylonians. All of the leading families and many of the lesser families were deported, in the era still known as the Exile.

Now the prophet Habakkuk is talking to the LORD, and he asks a couple of questions: “How long is this going to go on?” and “Why do you let all these bad things happen?” Since we still ask God these questions on a regular schedule, we’ll be interested to see tomorrow how God answered Habakkuk.

Habbakuk 1:1-4

The prophet Habbakuk asks God, "Why do you allow violence, lawlessness, crime, and cruelty to spread everywhere?" The answer seems to be that unless you are free to sin, your restraint from sin is meaningless. What I notice is that we only ask this question when we are the current victims of other people's sins or when we have gotten caught for our own sins. While we are in the process of committing sin we just take it for granted that we can do this.

Habakkuk 1:5-17, Continued dialog between the prophet and God (3/18/16)

God doesn’t answer Habakkuk’s questions; instead he tells his prophet that the Chaldeans (that is, the Babylonians) will soon invade the country, sweeping everything before them. Habakkuk says, “Wait! No-o! You’re God! Why would you let this happen?” However, I can’t quite tell whether the prophet is talking about the Babylonians or the people of Judah when he says, “Your eyes are too pure to gaze upon evil; and you cannot tolerate wickedness. So why do you tolerate the treacherous? And why do you stay silent while the wicked devour those who are more righteous than they are?” Prophets are extremely clear-headed about evil, so maybe he was talking about both!

Habakkuk 2:1-20, Continued dialog between the prophet and God (3/21/16)

I’m particularly interested in the contrast between gods in vss. 18-19 and God in vs. 20. If you make an idol, you can talk to it, but it’s not capable of speaking back to you. In the presence of the living God, however, you are encouraged to remain silent, so that you can hear what the LORD has to say. We want our idols to do as we say, and God wants us to do as he says.

Habakkuk 2:9-20, Stones will cry out against injustice (3/31/09)

Long after the time of David, the people of Israel had fallen away from God. God had sent them numerous prophets, but they didn't listen. Their idolatry, their social injustice, and their apostasy grew worse until God's only option was to punish them. God called on a foreign nation, Babylon, to invade Judah and execute judgment on his people. The prophet Habakkuk delivered the word of the LORD: if the people of Israel refused to acknowledge their sin and repent, the stones in the walls would testify against them. In contrast, idols made of stone are silent, even when called upon for speech.

Habakkuk 3:1-19, A prayer set to music (3/22/16)

I never know whether to be amazed or impressed that prophets and psalmists can write such sad songs and then finish with a joyful statement of praise for God. Habakkuk is afraid (vss. 2 and 16) and he also seems really depressed. This is not surprising, considering the sufferings of the Jews during the siege of Jerusalem and their subsequent deportation to a foreign land. In spite of everything, Habakkuk knows that God is with him and will deliver him.

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