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THE PROPHETS

HOSEA - Fall ’13 - Spring ’14 Table of Contents A Guide to the Prophets

A Guide to the Prophets page 3 To understand the prophets we have to do a lot of unlearning. A prophet is not necessarily a predictor of the future. Prophets in Some Things to Know... page 5 the did not do as much fore-telling as they did forth-telling. While the prophets did have things to say about the page 7 future, their primary concern was with the present. What is the message of God at this time, in this place, to this people? Right Joel page 14 here. Right now.

Amos page 17 The prophets were the ones who reminded Israel of her wedding vows to God. They proclaimed through poetry the heartbreak Obadiah page 22 of God, the unfaithfulness of people, the injustice of economic structures and the immanence of history. Their message was Jonah page 24 simple and loud: be keepers!

Micah page 28 But the nation of Israel had become content. They were unfathomably rich, they had a powerful military, a lineage of Nahum page 31 powerful rulers and perhaps above all, they had God on their side. Their belief was that because God had given them His Habakkuk page 33 Word that they would be His people and He would be their God they could pretty much behave as they liked because they were Zephaniah page 35 God’s blessed people.

Haggai page 38 But according to Deuteronomy 4.1-2 there was a stipulation to this promise of being God’s people: Zechariah page 40 “Now, Israel, hear the decrees and laws I am about to teach Malachi page 47 you. Follow them so that you may live and may go in and take possession of the land the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you.”

Israel was only a part of the divine marriage between themselves and God if they kept the marriage vows of the covenant. They were to model to other nations what it looked like when Some things to know...

God was king; when righteousness and justice filled the land -The prophets were poets. The text is poetry. While the text does rather than corruption and greed. have literal meaning, don’t get too hung up everything needing to be perfect. Read the text through the artistic lens of a poet. But Israel, like all nations at their apex, forgot that crucial bit of their wedding vows. They started believing their own press, that -Israel/Ephriam refers to the Northern Kingdom after it split. they, Israel were the greatest nation in the world. Their leaders Read 1 Kings 12 to know more about this. started consolidating power and neglecting the poor. The priests and preachers stopped teaching the truth. Only a few would step -Judah/Jerusalem refers to the Southern Kingdom after the out to share the unhappy news that trouble was on its way. unified nation of Israel was divided. See above.

These were the prophets. -In 722 B.C. the Northern Kingdom of Israel was defeated and exiled by the Assyrians. The prophets were burdened by the very weight of God and they could not help but warn their people that if they did not -In 586 B.C. the Southern Kingdom of Israel (Judah) was sent into soon change their ways, their nation would be swallowed up by exile by the Babylonian armies under Nebuchadnezzar. new superpowers on the horizon; that God would remove His protection; and that their privilege as God’s people, their place -Most of the prophets spoke anywhere from the 8th century (700 in His Promised Land and God’s presence itself would be taken BC) to 5th century (400 BC). away from them. They must change course. They must repent. -The books of Hosea, Joel, , Jonah and Micah are normally For the next six months, we will delve into the messages of these considered to be prophets pre-exilic, or before the exile of Israel. twelve prophets of Israel. We will encounter the full spectrum of our emotions: rage, sorrow, confusion, hope, despair, frustration, -The books of Nahum, Zephaniah, Habakkuk and Obadiah are wonder and awe. typically considered to be exilic (during the exile) prophets.

Remember that these messages have a place in the Story of God. -The books of Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi are usually called They communicate his desire to be with us and see shalom in our post-exilic prophets because they taught and spoke after Israel lives - the way it was intended. They also hold a warning that we had come back from exile. have choices to make regarding the hard work of seeking that shalom. -Chapter and verse divisions can segment the story. They aren’t a part of the original text but were only added for reference marks. These are those stories... In versions like the ESV, you can see where the translators have placed paragraph divisions to show units of thought a little more precisely. Just because a verse or chapter is over does not mean that a certain idea or prophecy is over.

4 The Minor Prophets A Reading Plan 5 HOSEA Week 1

Read -3

- Notice that pretty much all the prophets have a similar story Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German theologian during World arch: War 2 in Germany. Long before anyone else, he saw what Hitler -judgement was capable of and where the country was headed - destruction -repentance and ruin. His American and British friends urged him to flee the -restoration/hope country and continue to write and teach outside of Hitler’s evil regime. - “The Day of the Lord” is a term that will keep showing up. It has multiple meanings: Bonhoeffer tried this for a while, but ultimately felt that if he were -It can mean the day of destruction going to be a part of rebuilding Germany and the church there -It can also mean the day of hope after the war, then he was going to have to suffer with the church -Many Christians have read passages about “the day” in during the war under the Nazis. He hopped one of the last ships reference to back to Germany and eventually was arrested and killed because -Others see an ultimate “day of the Lord” referring to the of his role in a failed conspiracy to overthrow Hitler. “End of the World” Hosea had a similar story. God was unhappy with Israel. They While the above does have a wide range of meaning, try not to had cheapened his grace towards His people and were even read in the Apocalypse as often as you can. The prophets of worshiping other gods along with Yahweh. If they did not return Israel were mainly talking about the downfall and destruction of to their covenant vows, God would anull the marriage relationship Israel itself as a result of covenant unfaithfulness. While we may with Israel. see modern-day parallels these are secondary to what was going on in Israel’s story. Of course, the Spirit of the prophets may When God called Hosea to announce His displeasure with Israel, speak to our contemporary situation through these books, but it He didn’t have Hosea do it as an outsider. God asked Hosea is highly unlikely that they were “meant” to predict the future. to experience his pain in a similar marriage that would end in betrayal and heartbreak. In chapters 1-3, Hosea’s story is told in sync with God’s story - a story that ends on a hopeful note.

1. What do you make of God’s call on Hosea to marry someone who would not be faithful to him? Have you ever felt called by God to do something hard and counterintuitive in order to demonstrate truth or bring justice? Did you do it?

6 The Minor Prophets A Reading Plan 7 2. One of the main parallels between and Hosea and Israel and God is that Gomer believed that living outside her HOSEA Week 2 marriage with Hosea would bring her more happiness, much like Israel believed worshipping other gods and living outside the Read -10 covenant would bring them greater happiness. Has there ever been a time for you when you believed that something different Read Hosea 4.1-7.16 (a new job, church, relationship, etc.) would bring you identity or This can be a hard section to read because it has a few joy? What happened? “courtroom oracles.” These can sound harsh and they usually are. Israel is being called into court by God and her crimes are evident: injustice, faithlessness, idol worship and greed, to name but a few. As you read, take note of how each section of the text is structured. What is God looking for? What has Israel done wrong? What can change their course? What are the consequences? Asking these questions can help us develop a healthy view of what God is saying in the prophets. Yes, sometimes it seems harsh and judgmental; but God has clearly laid out what he desires and what is best for His people. The punishment for going astray is not vindictive, but loving because God wants the best for Israel and knows the covenant is the best way to achieve that end.

3. The story ends well, but God makes it clear that things will be 1. In chapter 4, what does God say Israel is destroyed for? What different. Israel will live for a while without kings and a temple did they lack that is leading to their future punishment? and all the other things they had come to associate with God’s grace. Reading ourselves into the story, what has a period of wandering away from God cost you? What would it look like for your story to be redeemed and restored like Gomer/Israel’s story? Do you believe that is possible?

8 The Minor Prophets A Reading Plan 9 2. One of the main fertility gods of this time was called “.” 4. Read .1-10.15. In 1 Kings 12.25, the king of Israel made Part of worshiping this god was to engage in prostitution of all two golden calves for the northern kingdom of Israel to worship. kinds. You can see that imagery play throughout these chapters. No king in Israel ever got rid of these. Hosea mentions this calf Why do you think we are prone to worship other things as the in chapter 8. Like story (Exodus 32), they turn away source of satisfaction, hope, pleasure or happiness instead of from God who has rescued them and start worshiping something God? What things are you yourself prone to put in God’s place or they can see and touch. At the end of chapter 8, God says he is treat as if they are God? Write out a short prayer of repentance returning them to “.” Israel desired slavery once again and like the one in .1 using the imagery of whatever it is you so God will make them slaves in exile once more. How does this “worship” in God’s place. What does it look like to dethrone the play out in your life? What form or pattens of slavery do you keep idol and put God back where we belongs? returning to? What better reality does God have for you?

3. How does God describe Israel’s love in Hosea 6.4? What are 5. Chapters 9-10 are especially harsh. We feel the angst of the the two things God wants from His people in verse 6? What prophet. He names their misdeeds and even goes as far to say practices can we put in front of us to keep our attention fixed on that he hopes they cannot have anymore children because he what God wants from us? doesn’t want the unfaithfulness to keep spreading (Hos. 9.14). Remember that the prophets are poetry. The harsh language they use isn’t necessarily supposed to be literal, but an expression of the pain they feel when they look at the unfaithfulness of their people.

Remembering the things we’ve seen in our own lives that are less than perfect, how have you felt the “holy discontent” or righteous anger in your life before? What made you feel that way?

10 The Minor Prophets A Reading Plan 11 What did that passion make you want to do to change the 2. After promising not to fully destroy Israel, God then turns to problem? Did you? include Judah (the southern kingdom) in the indictments. What character does Hosea highlight in chapter 13 verses 2-6? What is the important command in verse 6?

Name the things God has placed on your heart - the wrongs that need to be set right. How do those things fit into the life of a faith community?

HOSEA Week 3

Read -14

There have probably been times in your life where you have felt 3. Even though God is going to rescue, Israel will still bear the like giving up on someone: a friend, a family member, maybe consequences of her actions. She made treaties and alliances even a spouse or a faith community. Some endings are necessary with Egypt and other nations rather than relying on God and - perhaps a high school relationship or a friendship that is toxic. because of this reliance on military power, will conquer In all likelihood, most of us have experienced that moment when Israel. In looking at your own life, do you find yourself wanting to we were just about to give up on someone and then all of the be saved from the consequences of brokenness/, or wanting sudden we have a change of heart and recommit ourselves to to be saved from brokenness/sin itself? What is the difference making it work out for good. Apparently, God does that too. between those two things?

1. In Hosea 11.1-11, the first seven verses make it seem like God has given up on Israel. But then, in verse 8, God has a change of heart it would seem. God in his transcendence and “otherness” is not like a human who, when spurned, seeks vengeance and destruction. What does it mean for God to “not be like a man?” Why is it important for us to understand that God is quite different from us?

12 The Minor Prophets A Reading Plan 13 4. Read . Hosea ends his book of prophecies with a plea 1. As you read .1-2.27, track the progression from disaster to return to God. What stands out to you in chapter 14? How to repentance to hope in this passage. does it speak to your story? Think about verse 9. What has the book of Hosea taught you? 2. Key in on .12-14. We don’t like to talk a lot about humbling ourselves and weeping and mourning. It’s kind of a downer. But there are times when that is necessary. Sometimes the way we live is just depressing. We spend more than we give, we live luxuriously rather than simply, we waste time, we seclude ourselves and often we do not think twice about the plight of JOEL Week 4 the poor or what it would mean to be “the aroma of Christ.” Fasting is something that allows us to clear the distractions from Read the our lives, and gives us an opportunity to depend on God and reorient our life to Him. Pick one thing - your social media, food, Imagery is key for poetry. If you want to pack a ton of meaning TV, etc. - that steals time and attention away from the things into a few words, you convey an image that the reader is forced that matter. Give it up for the rest of the week. Write about to reflect on. The imagery of a birth is packed with meaning of what you experience through that time and especially use the dependency, newness, hope and life. The image of the crucifix time you would have been spending on what you’ve give up has with it the meaning of sacrifice, pain, selflessness and power. towards spending time with God or doing some service to your community. In the book of Joel, the prophet uses an image that was powerful for people in his context where food and water were scarce - the image of a locust army devouring everything in its path. This image was familiar to the people. Perhaps Joel was even calling up a current event to use as a picture of what was to come. Joel uses this locust invasion to bring up his topic: “the day of the Lord.”

Many Jews believed that the day of the Lord would mean that Israel would conquer in battle and subdue their enemies. But the message of Joel and other prophets is just the opposite. The day of the Lord would be God coming punish Israel for not being a people of mission devoted to God. The day of the Lord would be their undoing, much like being devoured by locusts. But not all would be lost. Like Hosea, God would offer rescue for his people if they would turn from their crash-course with disaster.

14 The Minor Prophets A Reading Plan 15 3. Joel 2.28-31is the passage Peter quotes at Pentecost in Acts 5. It would appear that the main focus of Joel chapter 3 is about 2. How was this hopeful for Israel? What did it mean for them to vindication for Israel against her enemies. Those who have “call on the name of the Lord?” mistreated the nation will pay for those actions. How do you reconcile this chapter with other chapters in the where God desires all people to know Him and wants to draw other nations to Himself rather than punish them?

4. Read . Interestingly enough, we see that God will at some point judge ALL the nations including Israel at some point Amos Week 5 in time. Although God allowed Israel to be judged and taken over by enemies, he will also judge those enemies for the atrocities Read Amos 1-2 that they committed (Joel 3.2-3). Joel then starts the battle cry for Israel to go to war and “beat their plowshares into swords” The prophets came from many different backgrounds. Sometimes which is exactly the reverse of Isaiah 2.4 and Micah 4.3 (beat we might get the impression that God called only really special your swords into plowshares...). This isn’t necessarily “politically people to speak His words to the people. Amos negates that correct.” How does this verse strike you? Why do you think it is impression. there? He was a shepherd.

When Amos got the call to spread his message, the nation of Israel was extremely prosperous. Walter Bruggemann says that the reason for the nation’s wealth was due to the rich oppressing the poor through economic policy. Amos believed that this was unsustainable and that eventually it would lead to the nation’s demise.

Amos lived in the southern kingdom (Judah) but came north to prophesy in Israel. Amos saw that by taking care of the poor in the nation, the people would be obeying the covenant with God and would escape the disaster that was sure to come if they did not.

16 The Minor Prophets A Reading Plan 17 1. Okay, this looks really bad. Apparently God is just going to blow everything up. But take a closer look. Amos is declaring the Amos Week 6 downfall of all the nations around Israel in Amos 1.3-2.3. While Amos is saying all of this, the people would be getting excited Read Amos 3-6 thinking, “Yeah! You tell ‘em! God’s going to get all those other guys!” But in chapter 2 verse 4, Amos turns on Judah and Israel. 1. Here we find God again telling the people of the disaster to By doing this, he is showing the people that they are no different come because they did not obey their marriage vows with God. than the other nations around them. Like Damascus in Assyria, God blessed the people with much and yet they turned from him Gaza of the Philistines and all the other nations around them, they and started believing that they did all of it. In chapter 4 especially, too do not obey God and oppress the poor. They are no better. God says that he will do to Israel what he has done to Egypt and Has there been a time in your life where you thought you were Sodom and Gomorrah because of their unwillingness to order better than someone else? How did you respond? Who do you themselves according to God’s way. The people of Israel were still believe, or treat like they are beneath you? unwilling to see the error of their ways because their lives were comfortable and they believed they were blessed by God. They couldn’t hear the cries of the poor because their houses were so far away from them. They were rich because they taxed and abused the needy. They were unwilling to stop because they were comfortable. In what ways do you sense in your own life that you’ve become too comfortable to hear God’s call? To hear the cry of the poor and powerless? What do you think God is asking you to do about it?

2. Amos seems to believe that Israel will be judged accordingly with all the other nations. They are all under God’s authority. How does this change our attitude towards others who may not think, believe or behave like us?

2. In these 4 chapters, what word do you see over and over again that God desires? How can you make these things the trademarks In God’s eyes, is anyone exempt from living under the covenant? of your life? Why is that?

18 The Minor Prophets A Reading Plan 19 Amos Week 7

Read Amos 7-9

1. The final three chapters are ordered around five warning “visions” that move toward a threatening future. In the first three (4.1-9) Amos sees something and God explains it. What is the difference between the first two visions and the last one in verse 8 3. Interestingly enough, chapter 9.7-8 tells the story of how God and 9? apparently performed similar “Exoduses” for other nations like Philistia and Syria. God is the God of all history and all people - not just the people that look like, talk like and think like us. Think of some examples where God has blessed people who may not acknowledge Him as their God. Does that change your perception of God?

2. Amos’ message was not well received. Amaziah, a clergyman in Israel did not like the message of doom that Amos was giving. It is sometimes hard to hear that the way we might be living is in opposition to what God would want for us. But when we mistreat the earth, abuse people, manipulate others and are consumed by greed, there are consequences. Usually, these are natural: you neglect to take care of the poor and you will have an economic and justice system that is not sustainable; if you are harsh with 4. Amos goes a long time before arriving to the hopeful your words and manipulate people you will have few friends; if conclusion in 9.11-15. Sometimes things look grim longer than we you only care about making more money or having more stuff would like them to. How does the end of Amos give you hope? If then you will probably only view people as better than you or Amos were writing this to you, how would that story go? worse than based on income, possessions or prestige. How have you experienced this? What natural consequences have you seen in your story due to choices made that did not reflect shalom - the way it was intended?

20 The Minor Prophets A Reading Plan 21 2. It almost sounds like karma when Obadiah says, “As you have Obadiah Week 8 done, it will be done to you.” But note that Jesus said something similar and it isn’t so much a “fate” as it is practical. In fact, Jesus For the next week, read the every day and taught that whenever someone wrongs you, you should turn continue to return to these questions. and bless them. Eventually, every bully gets bullied by a bigger bully. Our deeds do often come back to haunt us. What can you As confusing as it may be, Obadiah probably proclaimed his do today to bless others rather than keep the vindictive cycle of message in the 5th century after Israel had come out of exile. All violence and hurt alive? Be specific. the books we’ve looked at up to this point have been pre-exilic books, so when you read Obadiah, realize that you are reading a story about a people who are coming home weak, tired and barely surviving.

In the fifth century, Judah was a week colony of the Persian Empire. The country of in the south-east had long been at odds with the nation of Israel and were excited to see their weak enemy come home so that they could plunder them. God, through Obadiah, is telling Edom that because of their mistreatment of Israel, they too will be mistreated and overtaken by a stronger enemy - essentially: what goes around comes around. 3. The temptation could be to celebrate when someone we do not like fails or falls. How can we go out of our way to bless others As you read, try not to read Obadiah as an anti-Edomite who we may not get along with or share similar thoughts or prophecy, but instead as a reminder that whether you are an beliefs? What reminders can we set up to call us back to the fact Israelite returning home from the painful lesson of exile or an that “the kingdom shall be the Lord’s” not our own? Edomite who was spared from such punishment, the kingdom belongs to God and people should treat each other accordingly.

1. Are there any places where you take advantage of those weaker than you (e.g. those who do not have the same financial resources, relationships, religious knowledge, or skills as you)?

22 The Minor Prophets A Reading Plan 23 2. The questions the sailors ask Jonah are good enough to spend Jonah Week 9 the rest of a life thinking about. “Why are you sleeping? Why is this bad thing happening? Where are you from? What is your Read the . occupation? What is your people?” Essentially, the sailors are asking Jonah one question in the midst of all these questions: The story of Jonah is one of creativity and artistic imagination. It is the story, as we have seen already, of God desiring all people to “Who is your God?” adhere to the covenant life of shalom - even the enemies of Israel, “Is your God strong enough to rescue us?” the people of Ninevah. Most of the time when the story is told, “What must we do?” we stop after Jonah gets spit out of the fish and saves the city of Ninevah, but the story is much more than Jonah’s great escape. It The questions “where are you from?” and “what is your people?” is a parable of grace. determined which gods people worshiped. For Jonah, to say he was an Israeli prophet who worshiped Yahweh was exactly what Read the story of Jonah with fresh eyes in that frame. the sailors wanted to hear.

1. As we’ve already seen, the Israelites found it hard to believe People ask us some of the same questions every day. They watch that God wanted shalom and peace for their enemies. Jonah us to see how we react and handle situations. They ask us to did not want to share the message with the people of Ninevah make sense of the crazy world we live in by how we conduct not because he was afraid, but because he did not want them to ourselves, our habits and our words. In one manner or another, know the shalom of God. Have you ever run from God’s call to who is asking these questions in your life? Who looks to you to be a blessing to someone you did not particularly want to bless? find what God looks like? Are you intentionally teaching them What did you do? What can you do to do that now? about shalom by the way you live?

24 The Minor Prophets A Reading Plan 25 3. Jonah realizes it is his fault and has the crew throw him 5. The story of Jonah ends with a question mark. Jonah cared overboard. In the end the crew ends up worshiping God! Jonah’s more for his own shelter and protection than the protection and sacrifice and God’s grace towards the crew is a foreshadowing of shelter of an entire city. He would rather die than see his enemy what would happen in Ninevah when eventually Jonah would get enjoy God’s grace. What “cities”,or kinds of people do you watch there. But first, notice the prayer of Jonah in chapter 2. It appears and wait for God to destroy? What would it take to change your Jonah has changed his mind and will go fulfill what God asked heart to God’s perspective of compassion? him to do. How does his prayer speak to you when you may have failed to be the shalom-bringer that God has asked you to be?

4. Notice Jonah’s demeanor in chapters 3 and 4. What is his How should we react when God blesses those we may not like? It reaction to God’s grace toward others? There is an important is very easy to become callous. May we never be like Jonah and lesson here: Jonah knows all the right things to say and even stop caring for the welfare of our city, our nation and our world. engages in singing a worship song - but only when he is in trouble and sees no way out. When he no longer is facing , he reveals that his heart really hadn’t changed at all. Has your story ever reflected something similar? How can we try to prevent this “bail out” theology?

26 The Minor Prophets A Reading Plan 27 Micah Week 10

Read Micah 1-3

‘The name Micah is itself a vigorous affirmation of YHWH in the form of a question, “Who (mi) is as (c) Yahweh (ah),” to which the vigorous implied answer is no one!’

Micah is an essential prophetic book for understanding God’s desire for His relationship with people. The whole book is a meditation on God’s character in the midst of our lives. Micah is an earthy prophet with a disdain for anything that isn’t for the working class man. His message is simple and doesn’t mince words.

1. Again, it is important to note as we have throughout the minor prophets that God’s words of judgment are for those who do not keep the covenant vows. People who choose to not love God 2. How do you deal with verses like “Then they will cry to the and not love their neighbors and not live in a way that brings Lord, but he will not answer them.”? How does that fit with shalom to the world are going to end up bringing destruction passages that say whoever calls on the Lord will be saved? How on themselves. We always need to look in the mirror and ask do you reconcile the difference? ourselves the most difficult question: am I living my life in a way that – at work, in my family, with my friends, in the community - brings about shalom: the way it was intended to be.

Am I treating others well?

Financing my money well?

Using my words well?

Keeping my attitude from being bogged down by pride?

Go through this passage again with those questions in your own life. Write down some ideas to change in those areas:

28 The Minor Prophets A Reading Plan 29 Micah Week 11 Nahum Week 12

Read Micah 4-7 Read the

1. Micah 6.6-8 is a very popular passage of scripture right now. Nahum is the first book in the minor prophets that we see in the God really isn’t impressed with huge showings of sacrifice. He period of the exile. At the time he ministered, Judah had not does not require that you make millions of dollars and give it all yet fallen and the superpower of Assyria was on the way down away or make some grand gesture. His only desire is that you to destruction. Nothing is really known of the prophet himself. take the life he has given you and walk humbly, seek justice for all The name means “Comfort” and apparently the comfort he has and be kind to all. Go through that short list of three things in 6.8. to offer Israel is that Ninevah, the capital of Assyria is destroyed Name one thing for each command that you can do today and - a cause for celebration for Israel. This seems to fly in the face, the rest of the week. however, of Jonah and Obediah. Remember that the Bible, and, indeed the minor prophets, are one story, from beginning to end, about God putting His family back together. Sometimes that is a painful process. Sometimes we forget. Nahum is a story about Israel being released from her captors and the reaction that that good news caused - for good or for ill.

1. How does this book affect you? Does it bother you that such gore is accounted for against a city with such apparent glee? What do you make of that?

2. Notice Micah 7.18. “Who is a God like you?” Only Yahweh, in complete contrast to the other “gods” of the time would show compassion on a people that rejected Him. How has God done this for you? How have the last three verses of the book been true in your life?

30 The Minor Prophets A Reading Plan 31 2. One of the obvious themes of the book is God’s sovereignty. A nation or a people should not be arrogant just because they Habakkuk Week 13 happen to be on top of the heap at the moment. How does this apply to us currently? As a faith community? As a nation? For you Read the . personally? The northern kingdom of Israel did not survive the Assyrian onslaught; the southern kingdom did, but barely (2 Kings 18-19). But with the fall of Assyria described in Nahum came the rise of a new superpower: the Chaldeans, or the Babylonians. This time the southern would not survive. Jerusalem would be sacked and their people would be carted off to Babylon. Habakkuk was a prophet who tried to cope with this. In his book, we see how his cries are answered by God in ways that seemed counterintuitive. The short book wrestles with God over the fate of the people and ends with a song of trust in God.

1. The book begins with the prophet complaining to God about the injustice he sees around him and wants God to fix it. God’s 3. Walter Bruggemann says this about the book of Nahum: response wasn’t quite what he had in mind. Has there ever been “Surely it is to be recognized...that the poetry is...self-serving a time where something that looked like destruction and death Israelite glee and perhaps even self-congratulations as beneficiary to you ended up bringing surprises you didn’t expect? Habakkuk of YHWH’s action. We may perhaps read Nahum with critical wanted justice but not the way it was coming. How can you relate alertness if we attend to Israel’s capacity to equate my enemies to this? with YHWH’s enemies.” Do you ever assume that your enemies are the same as God’s enemies? What does it look like to assume that God is on our side and no one else’s? Give examples.

How can we avoid this dangerous conclusion? It is a conclusion that has gotten God’s people in trouble time and again.

32 The Minor Prophets A Reading Plan 33 2. Habakkuk has a hard time reconciling God’s actions with 4. Habakkuk ends with a song. In the midst of all the questions God’s character in the destruction of Judah. He freely questions and confusion, Habakkuk has a hymn to keep him hanging on. It God and waits - almost defiantly - for an answer. What are your starts out praising God and asking him for mercy. It tells the story questions for God?How can you stand at the watch post and wait of Israel. It fearfully describes his power. It ends simply with the for God’s answer/response? declaration that even if everything is going wrong and he has no idea what is going on, he’s going to trust that somehow YHWH is in control. If you were to construct a song about the way your life is looking and relate it to the one in Habakkuk, how would that look? What jumps out from Habakkuk that resonates with your life?

3. God’s response is that everything and every person must be just and faithful in their actions. Failure to do this results in the natural consequences of living in a way that is not as it was intended to be. Is this comforting to you or does it concern you? Why? Zephaniah Week 14

Read the

In this short book, the prophet Zephaniah covers the things that all the prophets talk about: a list of Israel’s wrongs, judgments on the nations and a vision of a time beyond punishment. It is a book that the nation likely read while they were in captivity in Babylon. Remember that in Israel’s popular imagination, “the day of the Lord” was something that Israel was supposed to look forward to - the Gentile nations around them would be destroyed and Israel would be established forever. But what ended up happening was the opposite. Israel was judged and left desolate. God was looking to Israel to be people of shalom - of the restoration of the way things were intended to be - and they instead decided to be 34 The Minor Prophets A Reading Plan 35 people interested in making themselves prosperous. As the book 2. Chapter 2.1-3.2 make up a long list of judgements agains ends, we see something of hope on the horizon - again, looking other nations. One of the indictments against them is that they quite differently than expected. have become their own god and do not trust in Yahweh (3.2). What does it look like to “trust God?” or to let Him be the King 1. One interesting phrase comes in Zephaniah 1.12. One of the of our being? We are quick to seek God for salvation, but slow to biggest misinterpretations of who God is would be to label him enthrone Him as Lord of our actions and thoughts. How can you apathetic about our lives. Complacency can shipwreck a covenant allow God the proper place in your life? What does that look like? relationship with God because it causes us to be stagnant and stop being aware of God’s presence. Specifically, how does Zephaniah define “complacency” in the verse above?

How does that view of God affect the way a person might choose to live their life? 3. What is the ultimate fate of the nations according to Zeph. 3.9? How does that last seven verses of Zephaniah bring hope to you? How do you see them playing out in the future of Israel and the ?

Is there anywhere in your life that you feel you’ve grown complacent? What can you do to turn that around?

36 The Minor Prophets A Reading Plan 37 with our own lives that we fail to make sacred space and time to Haggai Week 15 acknowledge God’s presence. In your own life, what concerns get in the way of your realizing God’s presence? How can you Read the “construct” a time or place to make that more memorable?

The book of Haggai marks a new notch on the timeline of Israel. Both Habakkuk and Zephaniah spoke about the Babylonian exile and the hope of return. Haggai is the beginning of the post- exilic prophets. As with the demise of the Assyrian Empire, the Babylonians were replaced by new superpower called the Persian Empire. Under this new ruling power, some of the Israelites were allowed to return home - but they returned to a land that was not the “home” they remembered. Jerusalem was in rubble. The Temple was destroyed and the walls were in shambles. It’s not hard to imagine Israelites asking: “Is God still with us?” This is the question of Haggai.

1. What is the issue in chapter 1? What phrase is being repeated 3. What theme/words do you see repeated at the beginning of in v. 5 and 7? What was Israel’s problem? Does that resonate with chapter 2? Why did the people of Israel need this kind of pep any area in your own life? talk? If you were to get a pep-talk from God, what would you want him to say?

Take some time to reflect on the fact that God is present in your life. Every area and moment is full of His presence. What implications does that have for you? How does that change you?

2. The Temple, to the Israelites, represented God’s presence among them. The people were so consumed with getting their lives back in order that they had neglected to repair the place that represented God’s dwelling among them in a special way. We can easily fall into the same snare. We can become so enamored 38 The Minor Prophets A Reading Plan 39 2. Go through the eight strange visions from Zechariah 1.7 - 6.8. Zechariah Week 16 Write just a little about each vision. What do you learn? What don’t you understand? It may help you to consult a reliable Read Zechariah 1-6 resource like Walter Bruggemann or Elizabeth Achtemeier.

Zechariah, like Haggai, is located during the Persian period. The Horseman (1.7-17): Zechariah is one of the longer minor prophets and consists of several strange visions with explanations. This book was very important to the early church. As you read, you will be able to pick up on themes that were used to describe Jesus and The Horns and the Craftsmen (1.18-21): his ministry (just so you know, Jesus is the Greek equivalent of ‘Joshua’). The book breaks down into two main parts: i) ch. 1-8 and ii) 9-14. Look for the hopeful attitude of what the nation will become now that they have returned. How will Jerusalem reorder The Man with the Measuring Line (2.1-13): itself? Will they make the same mistakes? These questions lead Zechariah to imagine what a world full of shalom might look like as he concludes the book. Take it slow through this prophet and don’t be afraid to ask the hard questions and do a little Joshua the High Priest (3.1-10): investigation and research!

1. The first six verses are a plea to return to the Lord and learn from their past. In your own experiences with faith communities The Golden Lampstand (4.1-13): and in life, what lessons have you learned the hard way? How have your negative experiences helped shaped for you a hopeful future? The Flying Scroll (5.1-4):

The Woman in the Basket (5.5-11):

The Four Chariots (6.1-8):

40 The Minor Prophets A Reading Plan 41 3. Look at the end of chapter 6. What is the vision of the Temple that Zechariah has? Who do you think the early church saw when Zechariah Week 17 they read this passage? What makes you think that? Read Zechariah 7-8

1. What ritual is condemned by God as being done for selfish reasons rather than pure ones? What does God ask the people to do in verse 9-10 of chapter 7?

4. Zechariah 6.15 says, “...this shall come to pass, if you will diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God.” When we talk about grace, we usually think about God doing something despite our own failures. Here, God says that Israel will see restoration only if they obey God. In your own experience, how 2. What stands out to you in Zechariah’s vision of peace and have you seen obedience to God i.e. covenant living, bring about prosperity in chapter 8? What specific images or phrases strike “the way things were intended to be?” How have you seen the you? effects of non-covenant living impact the outcomes of your life?

3. Zechariah 8.22-23 contains a great vision of shalom in the Go back to Bonhoeffer’s “cheap grace” that was covered at kingdom of God. What does that description of a bearer of good the beginning of the Hosea study. How can we embrace the news look like for you? In your mind, who do you imagine sticking “costly grace” of God? In what ways has God’s grace cost you close to you wanting to see God at work? Describe the vision you something? have for your life in similar terms.

42 The Minor Prophets A Reading Plan 43 3. If you asked a Jew what the Messiah would look like, they Zechariah Week 18 would probably give you several characteristics: he would be a part of David’s family tree, he would rule all the nations, he Read Zechariah 9-14 would restore the nation to faithfulness to God, etc. Hardly anyone would say, “He will suffer.” Zechariah 12.10-13.9 is full 1. Chapter 9.9-13 is rich with imagery that the early church and of suffering. How did Jesus see this passage applying to the followers of Jesus picked up on. What story refers to this Messiah? How did Zechariah see the suffering playing out at the text? If it doesn’t come to you instantly, just do a little searching end of chapter 13? on the internet. What does this image convey?

2. N.T Wright says that Zechariah is “[a] book which, as we have already seen, was arguably of great influence to Jesus . . . the How can suffering produce life? writer promises the long-awaited arrival of the true king (9.9-10), the renewed covenant and the real return from exile (9.11-12), the violent defeat of Israel’s enemies and the rescue of the true people of YHWH (9.13.-17). At the moment, however, Israel are like sheep without a shepherd (10.2); they have shepherds, but they are not doing their job, and will be punished (10.3) as a part of the divine plan for the return from exile (10.6-12). How did the leaders of Israel mis-lead the people? How would you define a good leader in a faith community or a city/town? 4. What is Zechariah’s vision of shalom in chapter 14? What stands out to you in his description of a time with no more suffering?

44 The Minor Prophets A Reading Plan 45 5. What festival is described in chapter 14 that the nations will keep? What does this symbolize? Malachi Week 19

Read the

Malachi is the final book of the minor prophets; it is also the final book of the Christian Old Testament (Chronicles is the last book for the Jewish Bible). Again, he is one of the prophets that ministered after the return from exile. Malachi is concerned with how Israel will reconstruct itself after this homecoming. Apparently, as he speaks, the nation has gotten lazy with their worship and service to God. Malachi urgently - and sarcastically - pleads with the nation to be faithful with their worship and how they relate to God. He also dreams of a time when someone will come and usher in the Kingdom of God. After Malachi, there is a 400 year silence in the Scriptures. As you read, think about how these are the last words God speaks to his people for a very long 6. The end of the book pictures a scene of a Jerusalem where time. everything is holy. Define the word holy. What does it mean for there to be no more traders in the Temple? If everything is holy, 1. Chapter 1 describes the laziness of the Israelites in their is there a need for them? How does that vision influence what we worship. They had good things but they gave God the leftovers. should be working towards as a faith community? Does this ever play out in your own life? How can you restructure your life to give God the best part of your energy, time, finances and attention?

46 The Minor Prophets A Reading Plan 47 2. The first 9 verses of chapter 2 talk about how the priests were 4. Malachi 2.17-3.5 talks about the coming of a messenger to not doing their job. They were to point to the law and lead “prepare the way.” Who did the New Testament authors see this the people into the knowledge of God, but they corrupted the as? How can we prepare the way for God to be seen in our own teachings of God by the way they lived. What examples have you lives? seen of “the people of God” misleading people, not due to their message, but through their actions? How can we be “priests” of the kingdom that point to shalom and embody the message at all costs?

5. “Why do good things happen to bad people?” This question 3. The second half of chapter 2 talks about covenant faithfulness is asked again and again in Scripture and in history. Some people with the analogy of a marriage. The people of Judah had see no connection between the way you live and the things “married the daughters of foreign gods” and “divorced” the wife that happen to you, and conclude that being “good” or “bad” of their youth, YHWH. What phrase is repeated twice in verses 15- doesn’t matter. Based on Malachi chapter 3 and 4, why do you 16? How can we “guard” ourselves to be faithful? think it is important to live a life that seeks shalom??

48 The Minor Prophets A Reading Plan 49 6. How do the last three verses of Malachi end the book? What does God urge the people to do in verse 4 of chapter 4?

7. The hope of Malachi, and the whole Old Testament, is that someone - the Messiah of God - can sort out this whole mess we seem to be in. As you have journeyed through these minor prophets, how have you grown to see Jesus in a new and more appreciative light? What hope do you see in him?

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