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1984

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G. Cocoris

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Recommended Citation Cocoris, G. Michael (1984). book by book : Hosea-Malachi. Los Angeles: Church of the Open Door. https://digitalcommons.biola.edu/faculty-books/436

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I I THE BIBLE Book by Book

Hosea - Malachi

G. Michael Cocoris

L I ,....

INTRODUCTION

In the Sunday evening services at the Church \ of the Open Door, I preached through the Bible one book per evening. In each message I covered the same 5 points: Author, Recipients, Subject, Structure and Purpose. These messages were later edited for release on our daily broadcast called THE OPEN DOOR. This booklet was prepared to help radio listeners study with us on that program.

Volume 4 contains the notes covering the books of Hosea through Malachi. The other books of the Bible are in six other volumes.

The messages, as originally preached at the Church of the Open Door, are available on cassette tapes in convenient albums. Or, you may order individual tapes if you desire. There is an Order Form at the back of this booklet for your convenience which will give you complete infor­ mation on how to order.

It is my desire that these messages wi 11 give you an introduction to the basics of each book of the Bible, and you will then be able to read, study and apply your Bible more intelligently. "THE BIBLE: BOOK11 BY BOOK HOSEA - MALACHI

-- Dr. G. Michael Cocoris G. Michael Cocoris

Cover Design: Larry McMillion Copyright (c) 1984 G. Michael Cocoris

Scripture References: New . Copyright (c) 1979, 1980, 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc., Puhlishers

·- TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page \ Hosea ......

Joel . • . • . . . . . • • • • . • . . . • . • ...... 7 . • ......

Amos • • • • • • • • . • • • • • • • • • • . • • • • • • • 11• • • • • . • • • . •

Obad i ah• •• . • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • . • . • •16 • • • • • • • • •

Jonah. . • . • . . . . • . . • . . • . • . • . . • • • • .20 . • • • • • . • • •

Micah.••.••••...•••••.•.•••••.•••••••••••• 25

Nahum. . •. • . • . • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • . •30 • . . • . . • . •

Habakkuk. • • • • • • • • . • • • . . . • • . . • • . • .35 • . • . . . . .

Zephaniah.• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • . • . • • •40 • • • • . • . . .

Haggai• . • • • • • • . • • • • • • • • . • • • . • • • •44 . • • • • • • • •

II Zechariah••.•••.••••••••••••••• ••••••••.•• 49

Malachi.•.•.•••••• ..••••.•...... •.•. 53

lll. T

HOSEA

11: The has been called the book Ii for backsliders (cf. 11:7).

I. Author.

Hosea 1:1 says Hosea wrote the book. The divine authority and authenticity of the book is attested by numerous quotations in the (cf. :1 with Matt. 2:15; :6 with Matt. 9:13, 12:7; :8 with Luke 23:30; Hosea 23:30 with Rom. 9:25; :14 with I Cor. 15:15; :9,10 and 2:23 with I Pet. 2:10).

I I. Recipients. A. Their date.

Hosea ministered in the Northern Kingdom (5:1), often called after the largest tribe (5:3, 5:11, 13). He dates his ministry by giving Ii the names of four kings of Judah and one of Israel (cf. 1: 1): (North) 782-753 B.C. (South) 767-739 B.C. I Jotham (South) 739-731 B.C. I (South) 731-715 B.C. (South) 715-686 B.C. Now that's interesting! Hosea ministered in the North, yet names only one Northern king and four - 1 - 1, Southern kings. Why? The answer is end of his ministry at 710. According that he, and for that matter the other to 1:1, he did live and minister that prophets, only recognized the legiti­ long, but the book stops before 721 B.C. ' mate rulers of the Southern Kingdom as the Kings of God's people. That ex­ Let's choose a date for Hosea plains the Southern Kings, but why one at about 725 B.C. was his Northern king? contemporary in the North, and Isaiah and Micah were his contemporaries in Keil and Delitzsch explain it this the South. way:

11 • B. Their description. • • the house of , to which he belonged, had been When Hosea began his ministry, called to the throne by the prophet Israel was enjoying peace, plenty, Elisha at the command of God, for prosperity and perversity (idolatry). the purpose of rooting out the When Jeroboam II dies, his stong hand, worship of from Israel, in which had curbed lawlessness, was return for which Jehu received removed and Israel began to crumble. the promise that his sons should Anarchy and assassination followed. It sit upon the throne of the fourth went downhill from there. Laxness generation (II Kings 10:30); and and looseness characterized personal Jeroboam, the great-grandson of behavior. Courts were corrupt; judges Jehu, was the last king through made their living from bribes. Robbery, whom the Lord sent any help to murder and organized vice were visible the ten tribes (II Kings 14:27). everywhere. Even the priests were In his reign the kingdom of the corrupt. They were at the head of ten tribes1 reached its greatest 11 organized bandit gangs! They actually glory. led people into and made sinning attractive. Worship was formal and So Hosea began his ministry in the professional. reign of Jeroboam II in the North, and Uzziah in the South. We have to guess Ill. Subject. at the year. Let's say about 755 B.C. But when did his ministry end? The subject of the book of Hosea is That is a problem. He prophesied the love of God. That theme crops up until the time of Hezekiah who did not repeatedly, for example, compare 2:1, start his reign until 715 B.C. Yet 2:23, and especially 14:4. there is no mention in his book of the destruction of the Northern Kingdom which was in 721 B.C. Many date the - 2 - - 3 - IV. Structure. V. Purpose. The overall 1 iterary structure of ' Hosea is easy; the details are difficult. A. To express God's case against It is obvious, even to the casual reader, spiritually adulterous Israel. that the overall structure of the book is Hosea's marriage (1-3), and Hosea's The Northern Kingdom departed message (4-14). from the Lord and began to wallow in sin, especially idolatry. One of the The details are much more difficult. major things God is doing in this book In those first three chapters, the main is expressing His charge against subject is Hosea's marriage, but the text Israel (cf. 4:1). God lays out the repeatedly lapses into a discussion of charges like a lawyer laying out a Israel. Chapters 4-14 are even more case in court. Some have called the difficult. Ellison has said, "There is literary form of 4:1-3 a lawsuit. no strict order, chronological, logical There does seem to be a charge, the or spiritual, to be discovered in the evidence and a judgment in these verses. major portion (4-14) of Hosea; the order Verses 4-14 contain many charges. within the smallest subsection is often ha rd to fo11 ow ... 112 But not only are the facts of the situation expressed, but so is the Keil & Delitzsch suggest a three-fold feeling. In having Hosea marry a division of chapters 4-14. They feel that harlot, God is expressing the way He each of these three contains something like feels about sinning Israel. For Isreal a charge, a judgment and a promise of to go after idols is like a wife restoration. Yea, it is the three promises prostituting herself with other men. that make the three divisions. The Just as a faithful husband would feel divisions are: 4:1-6:3; 6:4-11:11; 11:12- justified in casting off such an un­ 14:9. faithful wife, so God is justified in judging Israe 1 • I. The marriage of Hosea. ch. 1-3 A. Hosea's marriage. ch.1:2-2:1 B. To express God's love for Israel. B. Hosea's divorce. ch. 2:3-2:23 C. Hosea's remarriage. ch. 3:1-5 The other purpose of Hosea is to express God's loyal love for Israel. I I. The message of Hosea. ch. 4-14 After statements of judgment, a word of A. Round one. ch. 4:1-6:3 grace follows in which Israel's future B. Round two. ch. 6:4-11 :11 return is conceived (cf. 1 :10-2:1: C. Round three. ch. 11:12-14:9 6:1-3). God loved Israel like the husband - 4 - - 5 - of an unfaithful, adulterous woman JOEL who would go and reclaim his wife from the \ slave market (cf. II Tim. 2:11-13). Joel is a book dealing with the day of the Lord.

Conclusion: I. Author. Hosea married a woman who became a harlot :1 says Joel, the son of Pethuel, and he reclaimed her to illustrate Israel's was the author of the book. unfaithfulness to God and her eventual restoration. II . Recipients. A. Their date. 1 c.F. Keil, Biblical Commentary on O.T., Dating Joel is a problem. There The Twelve Honor Prophets, vol. 1, [Grand is no explicit time reference in it! Rapids; Eerdmans, 1969]-p.13. The book has been variously placed from the division of the Kingdom, 2 which was in 931 B.C., until Malachi, H.L. Ellison as quoted in unpublished class or even later. notes on Hosea by Dr. Elliott E. Johnson, Dallas Seminary, N.D. p.5. Phoenicia, Philistia, Egfpt and are all mentioned in Joel. These countries were prominent in the 9th century, but no later. There is also evidence of borrowing between Joel and Amos (cf. :16 and Amos 1:2; Joel 3:18 and :13). The context suggests Hosea, an 8th century prophet

borrowed1 from Joel. Furthermore, Joel s style is more like Hosea and Amos than the post-exhilic writers. Many conservative scholars, therefore, have concluded that overall the most likely time of Joel was during the reign of Joash (835-796 B.C.). Since there is no mention of idolatry, it may have been written after the purge of Baal worship and most other forms - 6 - - 7 - of idolatry in the early reign of locust visitation and uses that to Joash under Jehaiada, the priest. talk about the future situation. 830 B.C. Jewish tradition supports \ this conclusion. Introduction. ch. 1:1 Joel was a contemporary of

Elijah, who ministered to the I. The Day of the Lord foreshadowed.

Northern Kingdom. ch. 1 :2-20

B. Their description. A. The destruction of the locusts. ch. 1:2-14

The is addressed to B. The destruction of a drought.

all the inhabitants of the land ch. 1:15-20 (1:2). Evidently, that refers to the land of Judah, which can be clearly II . The Day of the Lord foretold. seen from various references in the ch. 2:1-3:21 book, such as 3: 1, 3:17, etc. (Israel, in 3:2, has prophetic A. The judgment of God. reference to all twelve tribes). ch. 2:1-11 Special mention is made to "old" men B. The invitation to Israel. (1:2), husbandmen and vinedressers ch. 2:12-17 (1:11), and priests (1:13)." C. The coming of the Holy Spirit. ch. 2:18-27

111. Subject. D. The judgment on Gentiles. ch. 3:1-16

The subject of Joel is the day of E. The blessing on Israel.

the Lord (cf. 1:15, 2:11, 2:31, 3:14). ch. 3:17-21

IV. Structure. V. Purpose.

Though there is a repeated reference A. Historical to the subject of the day of the Lord, there is no repeated phrase that is a Joel is calling Judah to repentance clue to the literary structure of the as a proper response to the Lord's book. The structure of this book is like judgment of locusts and drought, lest Hosea. In Hosea, the prophet began with a more devastating scourge come upon a current situation, his marriage, and them. went on to make a spiritual application. Likewise, Joel begins with a current local

- 8 - - 9 - B. Prophetic. AMOS

Joel was also announcing the \ future Day of the Lord in which the Amos is famous11 for the statement, "Prepare Lord will judge the nations, deliver to meet thy God. Israel and take up His dwelling in their midst. The unprecendented I. Author. locust plague was only a forestate of the future Day of the Lord. Amos 1 : 1 informs the reader that the author was Amos. The New Testament con­ firms that. Stephen, in his speech before Conclusion: the Sanhedrin, quotes from Amos (cf. Acts 7:42,43 with Amos 5:25-27),. James also Joel uses the natural disaster as an cites the prophet Amos (cf. Acts 15:16 illustration of an opportunity to announce the with Amos 9: 11). future Day of the Lord and call Judah to Amos informs us that he was not a repentance. prophet, nor the son of a prophet, but a herdsman and a grower of sycamore figs (7:14). Yet he explains that he was gripped by God and divinely commissioned to bring a prophetic message to Israel (3:8b, 7:15).

I I. Recipients.

A. Their date.

Amos dates his book by listing the kings who reigned during his ministry. In Amos 1 :1, he lists one Northern king and one Southern king. Uzziah reigned from 767-739 B.C. Jeroboam reigned from 782-753 B.C. There is obviously an overlap between the reigns of those two kings from 767-753 B.C. Amos also says it was two years before the earthquake. Zechariah who

- 10 - - 11 - .I I' I, I wrote over 200 years later, says the Ill. Subject. earthquake was in Uzziah's reign (Zech. 14:5). Archer says, "There is The subject is judgment. There is no ' general agreement amonq doubt that Amos is basing his message on scholars that Amos' ministry is to be the sovereignty of God and deals with the dated between 760 and 755 B.C., toward sin of man, but the essence is that the the latter part of the reign of Jeroboam sovereign God will judge the sin of man 11.111 The date of Amos then is 760 B.C. (cf. 3:2).

B. Their description. IV. Structure.

During the reign of Jeroboam I I, There are several literary devices or there was expansion, freedom, activity, clues used in the book. For example, Amos prosperity and peace. No one had any says, "For three transgressions and for fear of an invasion. But there was four" (cf. 1:3, 6,9,11,13, 2:1,4,6). But also idolatry. The golden calves that device does not follow throughout of Jeroboam I were still worshipped the whole book. at . There were idolatrous The book itself consists of three shrines at Bethel, and parts. First, there is a series of Beersheba. The priests were no help, judgments then a series of sermons they were morally corrupt. (1-2), (3-6), and finally, there is a series of As a matter of fact, corruption visions (7-9). The first section deals was the order of the day. The judges with judgments against the nations and were dishonest, and government Israel. In the first section there are was generally corrupt. eight judgments, in the second there are three messages, and in the last, there are The recipient of Amos was Israel five visions. (cf. 1 :1). This is obviously a reference to the Northern Kingdom, as Introduction. ch. Amos distinguishes between Israel and 1:1,2 Judah in the verse. There are a I. Eight judgments. ch. 1:3-2:16 number of other references to Israel I I. Three sermons. ch. 3:1-6:14 (cf. 2:6,11, 4:12, 5:1 ,4). Cities of the Northern Kingdom are also I I I. Five visions. ch. 7:1-9:10 mentioned a number of times. Bethel Conclusion. ch. 9:11-15 and Gilgal are referred to as "sinners of idolatry." And yet, the message is a warning to the Southern Kingdom as well (cf. 3:1, 2:4,5, 6:1).

- 12 - - 13 -

V. Purpose. here. There is a concept: God doesn't condemn the of the sinner and A. To pronounce judgment on Israel. \ condone the sins of the saint.

Jeroboam I I (793-753) had enjoyed B. To prophesy the ultimate restoration a brilliant career from the standpoint of Israel. of military success. He had restored the boundaries of the Northern Kingdom The vast majority of the material to the limits which he had in 931 B.C. concerns judgment. The conclusion The result was an influx of wealth deals with restoration (cf. 9:11-15). from the booty of war, and advanta­ geous trade relations with Damascus and other cities. But along with the Conclusion: increase of wealth, there was materialism and greed on the part of Amos pronounces judgment on the nations the nobility. They shamelessly surrounding Israel and on Israel. He also victimized the poor and cynically predicts Israel will be restored. disregarded the rights of those who were socially beneath them. A general disregard for the sanctions of the seventh commandment had undermined the sanctity of the family and had rendered offensive their hypocritical attempt to appease God by their Gleason Archer, p.306. observance and religious forms. The way Amos delivers his message is shrewed. He begins with the nations surrounding Israel, naming them one by one and moving around Israel getting closer and closer to Israel (you can almost hear Israel 1 11 11 11 saying 1Amen! Amen! ). Then he names Judah (you can hear the Northern Kingdom shout, "Hallelujah! The Southern Kingdom is getting it!"). Then Amos hits his target--the Northern Kingdom. But there is more than cleverness

- 14 - - 15 -

OBADIAH 2. By the Philistines 848-41 B.C. and Arabians ' Reign of Jeroboam Obadiah is the smallest book in the Old 11 Chron. 21 :16-17 Testament, but it deals with one of the largest

questions in life. 3. By Is rae 1 (Northern 790 B.C. Kingdom) I. Author. Reign of Amaziah 11 Kings 14:13-14 The first verse declares, "This is the vision of Obadiah." That's all. 4. By Babylon 605-586 B .C. There is no father, no king, nothing is Reign of Zedekiah given but his name. Consequently, nothing 11 Kings 24-25 is known of his time, his town, or his family. He is an obscure prophet who Frankly, no one knows for certain probably lived in the Southern Kingdom to which invasion Obadiah refers. of Judah. Evidently, it is not absolutely necessary to know which invasion is II . Recipients. referred to in order to understand the book. Most believe it is either number A. Their date. 2 or 4 above. Many conservative scholars choose number 2 because of the Dating Obadiah is difficult. place of Obadiah in the canon, and There is no reference to any king because of the lack of reference to the in the opening verse. To complicate captivity. Assuming that to be the case, matters, the book describes an the date of the book is about 850 B.C. attack on Jerusalem that some feel could fit several different 8. Their description. historical situations in the history of Is rae 1 (cf. vv. 13, 14). The The content of the book concerns only historical reference point in Edom (vs. 1), but it is doubtful that the book is verses 10-14. Obadiah was speaking to the Edomites. There were four significant They are addressed, but that does not invasions of Jerusalem in Old mean Obadiah was speaking directly to Testament times: them. Rather, Obadiah was speaking to Israel, more specifically the Southern 1. By the Egyptians 926 B.C. Kingdom, about Edom. For dramatic· Reign of Rehoboam effect, he was speaking as if he were I Kings 14:24-25 talking to them.

- 16 - - 1 7 - r

Ill. Subject. Israel and Edom.) There had been rivalries between the two for many years, The subject of the book is judgment but about 850 B.C., Edom did some rather \ on Edom (cf. vv. 1,2). unloving things toward Israel. The

1 'iI Edomites looked on with pleasure at the IV. Structure. misfortune of the Judeans (vs. 12). They took their possessions, and even " i There is no literary device that took part in a conflict against them neatly divides Obadiah into parts. (vs. 14), so now Obadiah says that God Rather, the content determines the will judge Edom for her cruelty to structure. Judah. 1 I Introduction. vs. 1 B. To declare Israel s del,iverance. '1 I. The destruction of Edom. Obadiah 15-21 deals with the Day of the Lord. In verses 15 and 16 he A. The certainty of Edam's says all nations will be judged, but destruction. vv. 2-3 he says in verse 17 that on Mount Zion B. The reason for Edam's there shall be deliverance. The house destruction. vv. 10-14 of Jacob shall possess their possessions. In a word, God's justice will ultimately II. The deliverance of Israel. vv. 15-21 prevail. A. The Day of the Lord in a11 nations. vv. 15-16 B. The Day of the Lord in Israel. Conclusion. vv. 17-21 Obadiah declares Edam's destruction because V. Purpose. of her treatment of Israel, and the ultimate deliverance of Israel. A. To declare Edam's doom.

Clearly, Obadiah is declaring doom on Edom (cf. vv. 1,2,4,8). The situation was this: Edom and Israel were brothers. (That was 1 iteral ly true. Isaac and Rebekah had twin boys names Jacob and Esau, and out of those two sons came the two nations

- 19 - - 18 -

- ,..,. JONAH of Jonah is 760 B.C. B. Their description. \ Charles Reade has said, ''Jonah is the most beautiful story ever written in so small a Under Jeroboam I I, Israel enjoyed compass. It contains forty-eight verses and a period of resurgence and prosperity. 1328 English words... There is a growth of Nationalistic fervor was no doubt running character, a distinct plot worked out without high. During the years of his reign, 'I' haste or cruelty. Only a great artist could was in a period of mild decline have hit on a perfect proportion between dialogue because weak rulers had ascended the and narrative.11 1 throne. Yet Assyria still remained a threat and her cruelty had become Cornill said, "this apparently trivial legendary. Graphic accounts of their book is one of the deepest and grandest that was 2 cruel treatment of captives have been ever written.11 found in ancient Assyrian records, especially in the 9th and 7th centuries I • Author. B. C. ·I The first verse of the book indicates Unger says, ''The period of Jonah Jonah, the son of Amittai, wrote the book coincides admirably with historical which bears his name. From the book itself, conditions at Ninevah. Under Semiramis, we know what happened to him when God told the queen regent and her son Adad-Nirari him to go to Ninevah. Apart from that, 111 (810-782) there was an approach to there is only one other reference to him under the worship of the god in the Old Testament, that is, 11 Kings Nebo." He goes on to say that Assyrian 14:25. One Jewish tradition says that history records two plagues in 756 and Jonah was the son of Zarephath, whom 759 B.C., as well as a total eclipse Elijah raised from the dead (I Kings 17: which was regarded as an indication of 8-24}. divine wrath (763 B.C.). These natural phenomenas may have prepared the

II. Recipients. Ninevites for Jonah's message.3 Boa dates the visit of Jonah to Ninevah in A. Their date. the reign of Ashurdan 111 (773-775 B.c.)4 Jonah lived and ministered under The ministry described in the the reign of Jeroboam I I (I I Kings was to the Gentile city 14:25). Jeroboam I I ruled from 782-753 of Ninevah, the capital city of B.C. (By the way, that was after the time Assyria. The recipients of the book of Elijah and just before the are not specifically stated, but there time of Amos and Hosea). So the date is no doubt that it was written to

- 20 - - 21 - r r

historicity of the people and events the Jews. After all, it is in the are maintained). Jewish canon! Jonah is historical, but it is different than all other prophecies. 111. Subject. All others are taken up chiefly with prophetic utterances. Jonah records The subject of Jonah is God's mercy little of his utterance. It is mostly (cf. 4:2,10,11). his experience. The story of Jonah has been compared to the stories of If the subject were Jonah, the book Elijah and Elisha (I Kings 17-19: would end at chapter 2. If the subject I I Kings 4-6). It is clearly narrative were Ninevah, it would end with chapter rather than prophecy. 3. But the subject is God's mercy, or more specifically, the universality of But what is the structure? Some God's mercy and therefore, the book has divide the book into four parts, a four chapters. few three. It is probably more accurate to see only two (cf. 1 :2 IV. Structure. and 3:1) .

Is Jonah history, or allegory? The I. Jonah's commission. ch. 1:1-2:10 critics want to make it an allegory written A. Jonah's commission. ch. 1 :1-2 about 430 B.C. because they deny the B. Jonah's course. ch. 1: 3 supernatural. The allegorical approach C. Jonah's consequences. ch. 1: 4-1 7 makes Jonah represent Israel, the sea the D. Jonah's confession. ch. 2:1-10 Gentiles, the fish Babylon, and the three I days in the fish the Babylonian captivity. 11. Jonah s recommission. ch. 3:1-4:11 Jonah is history. He was a real A. Jonah's recommission. ch.3:1-2 person (I I Kings 14:25). treated his experience as factual, not fictional B. Jonah's compliance. ch. 3:3-4 (Matt. 12:39-41). By the way, there have C. Ninevah's conversion. ch. 3:5-11 D. Jonah's complaint. ch. 4:1-3 been numerous incidences in modern times of men being swallowed by a big fish and E. God's curriculum. ch. 4:4-11 living to tell about it. V. Purpose. This does not rule out the possibility that the historical incident may illustrate A. To demonstrate the universality truth. That is typical, not allegorical (extent) of God's mercy. interpretation (cf. the study under the Song of Solomon. In allegory, people and The purpose of this book is to events are fictional. In typology, the - 22 - - 23 - show that God's mercy extends beyond Israel to all Gentiles. MICAH

B. To expose the exclusivism of Israel. Micah has been called the short-hand of Though one major purpose of the Isaiah. There are similarities: (1) both book is to demonstarte the prophesied of the early invasion of Assyria; (2) both spoke of Judah's deliverance, but later universality of God's mercy, the book (3) does not end with God's mercy extending captivity in Babylon; both emphasized the to Ninevah. It ends with God futility of mere ritual religion; both educating Jonah who was angry at God prophesied Messiah's coming (Isaiah spoke of His virgin birth; Micah spoke of His village for saving Ninevah. In adding this (5) last chapter, Jonah is exposing the birth); both prophesied Israel's final narrowness of himself and his nation. deliverance which had to be preceded by repentance. Yet there are contrasts: (1) Isaiah Conclusion. primarily addressed the aristocracy of urban Jerusalem whereas Micah spoke to the common Even after God twice commissioned Jonah people of the rural countryside; (2) Isaiah to preach to Ninevah, and they repented, Jonah dealt largely with the international scene and still did not think God should extend His Judah's false political alliances. On the mercy to them. other hand, Micah focused more on the personal and social sins of injustice that were prevalent in Judah; (3) whereas Isaiah extends his judgment to the surrounding nations, Micah limits 1charles Reade as quoted in W.G. Scroggie, his condemnation to Judah and Israel; (4) whereas Know Your Bible, [London; Pickering & lsaiah centers his Messianic vision around the Ing 1 i s , 1949] p.159. servant concept, emphasizing atonement and personal salvation, Micah portrays Messiah's 2 national deliverance made possible by God's Kyle M. Yates, Preaching From The Prophets, pardoning grace as promised to Abraham. [USA; Broadman Press, 1942] p.159 I. Author. 3 Unger, p.346. The book opens by saying that it is 4 the word of the Lord that came to Micah, Boa, p.209 but the verse does not mention his father, which is normally done indicating that his family was of humble origin. His town is given. Moresheth was about twenty miles - 24 - - 25 - west of Jerusalem near Gath. The fact that he is identified by location rather was probably between 735-710 B.C. than lineage suggests a lowly background. He was a contemporary of Hosea in the

\ His many allusions to the work of a North and Isaiah in the South (Isaiah shepherd may indicate he, like Amos, prophesied seventeen or eighteen years was a shepherd. He was from the before Micah). As a matter of fact, Southern Kingdom. Though a countryman, Isaiah and Micah contain one message in he ministered principally in the city. common (cf. Micah 4:1-3 and Isa. 2:2-4). Isaiah ministered in the court; Micah He is quoted in Jeremiah 26:17-19. to the common man. Some feel he was one of the men of Hezekiah who, together with Isaiah, B. Their description. transcribed Solomon's proverbs (cf. Proverbs 25: 1). The moral conditi9ns during Isaiah's time were corrupt. No class 11. Recipients. of people were exempt. Princes, prophets, priests and people A. Their date. were all victims of social disorder and moral decay (cf. 2:2,8,9,11, 3:1-3, The dating of Micah is not 5:11), yet they clung to religious difficult. Micah 1:1 informs the reader when he lived and lectured, namely in ordinances and forms. Micah exposes the days of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah. the futility of it all (4:7-8). Jotham reigned from 739-731 B.C., In chapter 6 he addresses the Ahaz from 731-715 B.C., and Hezekiah Northern Kingdom as if it is still from 715-686 B.C. capable of escaping divine judgment through a last minute repentance. Verse 1 also says his message They did not listen. fell in concerned Samaria and Jerusalem. 722 B.C. From Jeremiah 26: 18,19 we Micah, therefore, is the only prophet learn that his earnest warnings against whose ministry was directed to both the reign of Hezekiah were taken kingdoms. He predicted the fall of seriously and made an important Samaria (1 :6), which means much of his contribution to the revival which took ministry took place before the place under government sponsorship. Assyrian captivity in 722 B.C. His strong denunication of idolatry and Ill. Subject. immorality also suggests that his ministry largely preceded the sweeping The subject is not sin, it is judgment religious reforms of Hezekiah. So on s in (cf . 3 :1 2) . while he could have ministered from 739-686, the major part of his ministry - 26 - - 27 - IV. Structure. righteousness. Micah 6:6-8 is classic. Dean Stanley said that these verses contain "one of the most sublime and MicahII uses the same repeated phrase, \ ''hear, to convey his message (cf. 1 : 2, impassionate declarations of spiritual 1 3:1, 6:1 .· N.B.: 3:9 uses the phrase, religion the Old Testament contains.11 but it is a repetition of 3:1 ) . In each section there is judgment and hope. i B. To pronounce judgment. Introduction. ch.1 :1 I Micah is not just a teacher explaining a social or spiritual I. Summon to the people. ch. 1 :2-3:13 phenomena. He is a prophet. He ex­ A. Judgment. ch. 1:2-2:11 poses sin and pronounces judgment. He B. Hope. ch. 2:12-13 predicts the downfall and destruction 11. of Israel, which happened in 722 B.C. Summon to the leaders. ch. 3:1-5:15 (1 :6), and Judah, which did not happen A. Judgment. ch. 3:1-12 un ti 1 606 B. C. ( 1 : 9). B. Hope. ch. 4:1-5:15 C. To promise hope. I I I. Summon to the mountains. ch. 6:1-7:20 A. Judgment. ch. 6:1-16 Yet with all the sin and judgment B. Hope. ch. 7:1-20 in Micah, there is also hope. It keeps seeping through. Messiah will V. Purpose. come (5:2), the Messianic Kingdom will come (4:1-2), and more important, A. To expose sin. mercy will come (7:18-19).

Micah lived during a time of moral and spiritual decay. It was widespread Conclusion. and deep. The prophets and the people, the leaders and the laymen, were all Micah summoned everyone (i.e., all of Israel, North and South) to hear God's judgment on their involved.11 They11 had an outward show of religion and thus respectability sin and His ultimate blessing on their nation. which, no doubt, blinded them to the seriousness and hideousness of their t sin. 1 I Dean Stanley as quoted in Robert Lee, The So one of Micah's purposes is to Outlined Bible, [London; Pickering &°"Tnglis, expose sin for what it is. They had N.D.] Analysis No. 33 outward conformity to rite. God wanted inward conformity to

- 28 - - 29 - Others prefer a time closer to the NAHUM fulfillment, perhaps 625 or 620 B.C. The date was probably about 655 B.C., when Ninevah was still in its Two of the minor prophets ministered to g 1ory . Ninevah: Jonah and Nahum. B. Their description. I. Author. Jonah preached to Ninevah about Nahum 1 :1 says that this book is the 760 B.C. The city was converted, but vision of Nahum. All that is known of him evidently the revival was short-lived. is what is said about him in this verse, The Assyrians soon returned to their and it says very 1 i ttle. It does not ruthless practices. Sergon II of tell us who his father was, or who the Assyria destroyed Samaria in 722 B.C. king was when he lived. It only tells and promptly scattered the ten tribes. of his town. Under Sennacharib, the Assyrians came close to capturing Jerusalem during II. Recipients. the reign of Hezekiah (701 B.C.). By the time of Nahum, that is, about A. Their date. 660 B.C., Assyria reached the peak of its prosperity and power under There is no mention of the king Ashurbanipal (669-633 B.C.). Ninevah in the opening verse, but there are became the mightiest city on earth several clues in the book as to its with walls 100 ft. high and wide enough date. Nahum 3:8-10 refers to the fall to accomodate three chariots riding of No Amon (Thebes). That Egyptian abreast. Scattered around the walls city fell before the armies of were high towers that stretched an Ashurbanipal in 664 B.C. additional 100 ft. in the air, the On the other hand, Nahum pre­ walls were surrounded by a mote 150 ft. dicted the fall of Ninevah which wide and 60 ft. deep. Ninevah appeared took place in 612 B.C. So Nahum impregnable and could withstand a twenty year seige. Thus, Nahum's must be placed somewhere between 664 1 and 612 B.C. No Amon was restored a prophecy of Ninevah s overthrow seemed decade after its defeat. Nahum's unlikely indeed. failure to mention that has led The book is against Ninevah (1 :1), several to the conclusion that Nahum but technically, it is to Judah (1:15). was written before 654 B.C. The absence of any mention of the king in 1:1 may point to the reign of the wicked king Manesseh (686-642 B.C.). - 31 - - 30 - III . Subject. They were a nation of hunters and warriors, not artists and scientists. Nahum tells us in the first verse Most of their art, culture and science that his book and burden is against they derived from the Babylonians. Ninevah. To be more specific, the Most of their gods were gods of war. 1 subject of Nahum is the judgment of Nahum describes Ninevah s de­ Ninevah. struction in detail: destroyed by flood (1:8, 2:6) and fire (1:10, 2:13, 1 IV. Structure. 3:13,15); the profaning of Ninevah s temples and images (1:1 4); the city Nahum uses no literary device to wi 11 never be rebui 1 t ( 1: 14, 2:1 1 , 1 3); reveal the structure of his thought. the leaders will flee,(2:9, 3:17); The content is the only clue. the easy capture of the fortress around the city (3:12); the destruction of the Introduction. ch. 1 :1 gates (3:13); and the lengthy seige and 1 I. Ninevah s judgment decreed. frantic efforts to strengthen its ch. 1: 2-15 defenses (3:14). All of these events have been authenticated in archeological A. The divine judge. ch. 1 :2-7 finds and historical accounts. B. The divine judgment. ch. 1:8-15 1 Scroggie says, 1 At the time of I I. Ninevah's judgment described. this pronouncement, Ninevah appeared ch. 2: 1-13 to be impregnable with walls 100 ft. high and broad enough for three A. The seige and capture. chariots to drive abreast on them, ch. 2:1-8 with a circumference of sixty miles B. The sacking of the city. and adorned by more than 1200 towers. ch. 2:9-13 But what are bricks and mortar to III. Ninevah's judgment deserved. God! ... In the 2nd century after Christ, ch. 3:1-19 not a vestige of it remained, and its very site was long a matter of A. Because of her sin. ch. 3: 1-7 B. Because of justice. ch. 3:8-19 uncertainty.111 So complete was the destruction of V. Purpose. Ninevah that the city was almost a myth for two millennium until its recent A. To condemn Ninevah. discovery in 1842 by Layard and Botta. Alexander marched by it in 331 B.C. Assyria and Ninevah were known There was no evidence of its existence. for their military power and cruelty.

- 32 - - 33 - the an had about in once The it reign and s thinker thinker is a not be of him. the but . Josiah so :2-4. of not ) 1 6 prophecy do in 1 of the free 3:1). king : Chaldeans moral Babylon that, 3 time would violence about B.C., the reign No , The 1 pictured eign the "The author, : Josiah r that for after (1:1, 2 Habukkuk 612 Jehoiachim's date that is as known , f elsewhere in 6 the in o wicked : explicit introduction, time is

1 that. when ( o power. because a called, called, n likely concern the prophet named Habakkuk. the t indicate 3:1). Beyond a f is invasion unlikely during eforms - 35 - is o in Babylon after r B.C., been even world B.C.) most HABAKKUK HABAKKUK mentioned nothing is situation was t a ere be during (1:1. date. t 607 suggests I has en Th place The He n to the prophet's tioned i never Habakkuk mm prophets." (640-609 twice Their men reference i conquered had descriptions Babylonian Jehoiachim. spiritual took become fit Josiah Judah The about is Habakkuk Habakkuk the He Recipients. Author. but practically Bible. A. I. 11. among 11 be Would last! man on was for the to the of the not to a wholly to Kingdom at at in is in the Judah is had the was, 11 fanaticism is as but brings Nahum against at cause Ninevah Ninevah the all big tyranny time of who Nahum Ninevah desire Would Northern Nahum destruction over escaped of brutality. question holiness still Rather, Lord's on one upon the Ninevah, as great had the His The at was too? of empire which purpose the ruthless Judah. :15). one earnest nationalistic nationalistic 1 justice. God. Ninevah's Judah Jews and is Assyria? heartless His malice. condemn trampled with heathen Judah. any speaks (cf. - 34 - condemnation condemnation power. defeated at Assyria by primary to punished the God's comfort of with book vindicate he the time B.C. of but of be This The news of God just and earth. inhumane God, vindicate vindicate comfort 722 vengeful long p.181. pronounced judgment Nahum's Nahum's God To zenith To Judah not preoccupied of exalted overjoyed or because in see the time, the that God-defying Assyrians eyes a minds conquered good comfort Judah. Remember, nations B. C. Nahum _ scroggie, 1 vindicate Conclusion: l was still well under way and before III. The subject. Judah was invaded by Nebuchadnezzar in 606 B.C. Habakkuk, then, was a The subject of the book is the contemporary of Jeremiah, prophesying righteousness of God (or the holiness of with him in the Southern Kingdom as God). it plunged toward national collapse. Habakkuk is grappling with the question Josiah had brought reforms, but of how can God use a wicked instrument like they abruptly ended with his death in the Chaldeans to execute His purpose? 609 B.C. The seeds of corruption Could the divine purpose be justified in planted by Manesseh quickly came to such an event? God's righteousness needed fruition under Jehoiachim. vindicating to His people. How does wickedness seem to triumph,while the B. Their description. righteous suffer? This is the question of Job applied to the nation. The nobles, and even religious leaders were shamelessly robbing and IV. Structure. oppressing the common people in Judah. Therefore, they were to be The literary structure of the book punished through the instrumentality of Habakkuk is a conversation between the of the Babylonians. As a matter of prophet and God. fact, the nobility were the first to be taken into captivity in the two Scroggie has said, "The literary form preliminary deportations of 606 and of the Prophecy is unique among the 597 B.C. The majority of the lower prophetic Writings. The prophet casts his thought into a dramatic representation class were left in the land until the third deportation in 586 B.C. with Jehovah and himself as the speakers. 111 But Habakkuk sees that the Introduction. ch. 1 :1 Babylonians themselves will pose a I. The prophet's problems (the serious problem theologically. How is one to reconcile God using them righteousness of God). ch. 1:2-2:20 with His holiness, for they were a A. First problem (Israel's sin and

bloody and ruthlessI people who had no God' s s i 1 ence). ch. 1 : 2-11 respect for God s mora 1 1 aw. Instead B. Second problem (Babylon's of falling into impatient cynicism, cruelty and God's silence). Habakkuk puts the situation before ch. 2:12-20 the Lord (2:1). The book is God's answer to Habakkuk. II. The prophet's prayer. ch. 3: 1-19

- 36 - - 37 - 1 V. Purpose. Reformation. 1 Paul got his statement, 11The just sha11 1 ive by fa ith 11 from The purpose of Habakkuk is to Habakkuk, and Luther got it from Paul. vindicate God's righteousness in using one wicked nation to punish another. Conclusion. The immediate situation that Habakkuk speaks1 to is the sin of Judah. Why Habakkuk narrates his own sturggle with doesn t God judge her sin? When God the 1 righteousness of God in order to vindicate answers that He is about to judge her sin God s righteousness. by using Babylon, Habakkuk has a greater problem. How can God remain righteous and use one wicked nation to judqe another wicked nation? 1 1 w.G. Scroggie, Know Your Bible, vol. 1, That s the immediate situation, but [ London; Pickering & lngl is, 1953] p.195. there is an abiding universal question here. Circumstances1 often seem to con­ tradict God s revelation of His righteousness or His love. If He is righteous, how can He allow sin? If He is loving, how can He allow suffering? Habakkuk struggled when he saw a man flagrantly violating God's law and dis­ torting justice on every level without fear of divine intervention. He wanted to know why God was allowing growing iniquity to go unpunished. God's answer, of course, is that Habakkuk could trust Him, even in the worst of circumstances because of His matchless1 wisdom, goodness and power. God s plan is perfect, and nothing is big enough to stand in the way of its ultimate fulfillment. lnspite of appearances to the contrary, God is still on the throne as the Lord of history and the ruler of nations. Habakkuk must simply1 trust the 1 Lord. 11 He has1 been called the Prophet of fa i th and 1the Grandfather of the - 38 - - 39 - "

'I

ZEPHANIAH dated, then, around 630-625 B.C. Jeremiah, Nahum and Habakkuk were his contemporaries. As Jonah and Nahum are the only two books among the Minor Prophets that deal with Ninevah, B. Their description. so Joel and Zephaniah are the only two Minor Prophets whose subject is the Day of the Lord. The evil reigns of Manasseh and Amon, totaling fifty-five years, had I. Author. such a profound effect upon Judah that it never recovered. Zephaniah Zephaniah 1:1 is a very unusual verse. probably played a significant role in Usually, the author gives his name and preparing Judah for the revivals that the name of his father. Zephaniah took place in the reign of the identifies himself and traces his lineage nation's last righteous king. But back four generations to Hezekiah. This Josiah's reforms were too little too was doubtless Hezekiah the king. late, and the people reverted to their Zephaniah was thus the only minor prophet crass idolatry and teaching soon after of the royal family. Being a distant Josiah was gone. Neverthless, cousin of King Josiah, Zephaniah Zephaniah was one of the eleventh­ evidently had access to the royal court hour prophets to Judah. and knew the religious climate around Jerusalem well. Ill. Subject.

II. Recipients. The one subject which includes all of the themes of the book is the Day of A. Their date. the Lord. Robert Lee says "the Day of the Lord" is mentioned seven times and Zephaniah dates his book for us. forms one of the key studies of this book.1 Luck says, "The Day of the Lord, that day, In 1:1, he fixes11 his prophecy in "the 11 days of Josiah. Josi ah reigned f ram the day, etc. appears twenty ti mes in the 640 B.C. to 609 B.C. 2:13 indicates book. Scofield says that he uses the 2 that the destruction of Ninevah was book. Scofield says that he used the still future. That happened in 612 term more than any other prophet.3

B.C. So the book must be dated before that. The sins listed in IV. Structure.

1 :3-13 and 3:1-7 indicate a date prior to Josiah's reform when the sins from Like Micah, Zephaniah comes out the reign of Manasseh and Amon were swinging. His book is pure preaching still prominent. Zephaniah should be (cf. 1:2).

- 40 - - 41 - The Day of the Lord includes B. He announces the coming blessing. judgment and blessing, tribulation and millennium. That is the division Zephaniah does something else to of the Day of the Lord, and that is accomplish his purpose. He announces the division of the . the coming Kingdom and blessing (cf. 3:13). Introduction. ch. 1 : 1 This is a truth we tend to neglect I. The Day of the Lord--Judgment. or forget. The goodness of God also ch. 1 :2-3 : 7 leads to repentance (cf. Rom. 2:4). A. Judgment on Judah and Evidently, it worked. If we are Jerusalem. ch. 1 :2-2:3 correct in saying that Zephaniah B. Judgment on the surrounding prophesied early in the reign of Josiah, then nations. ch. 2:4-15 indeed he contributed to the revival and C. Judgment on Jerusalem. reforms under Josiah. It was short-1ived, but ch. 3:1-7 it worked. I I. The Day of the Lord--Blessing. ch. 3:8-20 Conclusion:

V. Purpose. Zephaniah announced the coming Day of the Lord in order to get Judah to seek the Lord. The simple and single purpose of Zephaniah seems to be to compel Judah to repent. 2: 3 is the key verse. In order to accomplish that purpose, '\" 1 Zephaniah does two things: Robert Lee, p.43.

A. He announces coming judgment. 2 G. Coleman Luck, The Bible Book by Book, He announces doom and destruction [ Chicago; Moody Press, 1955] p.145. and urges them to seek the Lord that 11 3 they might be hidden in the day of New Scofield Reference Bible [ New York; Oxford the Lord's anger' 1 (cf. 2:3). University, 1967] p.957, Zephaniah means 11 the Lord hides, protects.11 There is a sense in which his name captures the thought of the book.

- 42 - - 4 3 - HAGGAI In 538 B.C., Cyrus of Persia issued a decree allowing the Jews to return to Palestine and rebuild their \ As Scroggie points out, "At this point we temple. The first group, led by enter upon a new prophetic period. The history Zerubbabel, returned and in 536 B.C. of the people of Israel, as to government, is began work on the temple (cf. Ezra 4-6). divisible into three periods: (1) Israel under They were soon discouraged by the Judges, Moses to Samuel; (2) under Kings, Saul ,desolation of the land, crop failure, to Zedekiah; and (3) under Priests, Joshua to hard work and even hostility from their the Destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Viewed neighbors. Their work on the temple in relation to the captivity, the periods are: ceased in 534 B.C. (3) (1) Pre-Exi 1 ic; (2) Exi 1 ic; and Post-Exi 1 ic. They became preoccupied with their Or, viewed in relation to the world Empires, own building projects. They used the periods are: (1) the Assyrian; (2) the (3) political opposition and a theory that Babylonian; and the Medo-Persian. Haggai, the temple was not to be rebuilt until Zechariah, and Malachi ministered in the third some time later (perhaps after of each of these periods.•• 1 Jerusalem was rebuilt) as excuses for neglecting the temple. I. Author. God then called Haggai and Haggai's name not only appears in Zechariah to convince the people to the first verse, it occurs eight times complete the temple. Both are pre­ after that, and that in just two chapters! cisely dated. As a matter of fact, (cf. 1 :3, 12, 13 , 2: 1, 10, 13 , 1 4, 20) . He is Haggai is one of the most precisely known only from his book and from two dated books of the Bible (only references to him in Ezra 5:1 and 6:14. Ezekiel and Zechariah provide such Haggai returned from Babylon with the exact dates). Haggai is a 1 so the remant under Zerubbabel and evidently first prophetic book to be dated by lived in Jerusalem. Haggai and Zechariah Gentile kings (cf. 1:1 and also the worked together in encouraging the people fact this is the time of the Gentiles). to rebuild the temple. Haggai 1 : 1 August 29, 520 B.C. II. Recipients. Haggai 1: 15 September 21, 520 B.C. A. Their date. Haggai 2:1 October 17, 520 B.C.

Dating Haggai is not a problem-­ Haggai 2:20 December 18, 520 B.C. at all. He gives us the year, the month and the day of his ministry.

- 44 - - 45 - I. First message (concerning In other words, this book spans four months. After fourteen years of neglect). ch. 1:1-15 neglect, work was resumed in 520 B.C. A. Rebuke for neglecting the By the way, the temple was completed temp 1 e. ch . 1 : 2 -4 in 516 B.C. (Ezra 6:15). B. Results of neglecting the temple. ch. 1:5-11

B. Their description. C. Resolve to rebuild the temple. ch. 1: 12-15 Basically, the people were dis­ I I. Second message (concerning couraged by the desolation of the land, 1 2 : 1 - crop failure, hard work, and even the g o ry) . ch. 9 hostility from their neighbors. They A. The glory of the present needed to be encouraged to resume work temp 1 e . · ch. 2 : 1 -5 on the temple. B. The glory of the future

The recipients were Zerubbabel, temple. ch. 2:6-9 the governor, Joshua, the High Priest I I I. Third message (concerning ( 1 : 1 , 2 : 2 , 21 ) , 1 1 1 as we as a l the blessing). ch. 2:10-19 peopl e ( 1 : 1 3 , 22) : . A. Economic blight of neglect­ ing the temple. Ill. Subject. ch. 2:10-17

The subject of Haggai is the re­ B. Economic blessing of building the temple. building of the temple (cf. 1:2-4, 8,9, 14, 2:3, 7 ,15 ). ch. 2:1 8,19 IV. Fourth message (concerning the

IV. Structure. Kingdom). ch. 2:20-23

In a word, the literary structure of A. Future overthrow of Haggai is dated messages. The only Gentile kingdoms. ch. 2:20-22 difficulty is that some see only four messages, while others see five. The key B. Future authority1 of phrase is, "The word of the Lord came... " Zerubbabel s kingdom. ch. 2:23

V. Purpose.

A. To encourage the people to rebuild the temple.

- 46 - - 47 - When Haggai came on the scene, the ZECHARIAH people were spiritually discouraged and indifferent. They were busy on their own houses (1:4) and made excuses as Zechariah could be called the encouraging to why they did not work on the Lord's prophet. house (1:2). Haggai came to motivate the people and the leaders to reorder I. Author. their priorities and complete the temple (1:8). The opening verse of the book says that Zechariah wrote it. For the Bible­ B. To enlighten the people as to God's believing conservative scholars, that blessing. settles it. There are at least twenty-nine men When Haggai began, the people in the Old Testament by the name of were dissatisfied (1:6). What they Zechariah. The Zechariah who was the did not realize was that was a symptom of author of this book was born in Babylon. their spiritual disease. Haggai seeks He was evidently of the priestly lineaqe to get them to consider their ways (1:1,7, Ezra 5:1, 6:14, Neh. 12:4,16),· (1:5,7). Putting their self-interests but the book calls him a prophet (1:1 ,7). first led to their dissatisfaction. When the Jewish exiles returned under Only when they put God first and sought Zerubbabel, Zechariah was among them. to do His will would He bring His people joy and prosperity. According to Jewish tradition, Zechariah was a member of the great synagogue that collected and preserved Conclusion: the canon of revealed Scripture. Matthew 23:35 indicates he was murdered between Haggai preached four messages in four months the temple and the altar, the same way to motivate the people and the leaders to that an earlier Zechariah was martyred rebuild the temple in particular, and to obedience (see I I Chron. 24:20-21). in general (cf. 1:12). 11. Recipients.

A. Their date.

1 Zechariah 1 :1 gives the date scroggie, p.210. very clearly: "In the eighteenth month of the second year of Darius ... " The verse not only records the year,

- 48 - - 49 - but also the month. To be exact, it The recipients were all the people was November 20, 520 B.C. of Israel who returned from the That means that Zechariah was a captivity (1 :2,4, 7:5, etc.). Some younger contemporary of Haggai the messages were especially addressed to prophet, Zerubbabel the governor, Joshua, the High Priest (3:8), and and Joshua the High Priest. Haggai Zerubbabel, the governor (4:6). began his ministry first (by two months), Ill. but it was their combined preaching Subject.. which resulted in the completion of the temple in 516 B.C. The subject of Zechariah is the re­ storation of Jerusalem (cf. 1 :16, 2:2, 8:3, When did Zechariah's ministry end? 9:9, 12:5, 13:1, 14:2). The last dated prophecy was in December, 518 B.C. (cf. ch. 7-8). Some have IV. Structure. dated it December 4, but chapters 9-14 are undated and should be put much The literary structure of at least later, probably about 480 B.C., when the first part of the book almost jumps the Greeks were rising to world power out, even to the casual reader. The (9:13). Boa adds, "This would mean that literary structure of 1:7-6:8 is a Darius I (521-486) had passed from the series of visions (cf. 1:8,18, 2:1, 3:1, scene and was succeeded by Xerxes etc.) (486-464), the king who deposed Vashti 1 and made Esther queen of Persia.11 In 6:9-8:23 he says, "The word of the Lord came unto me." Chapters 7 and 8 Thus, Zechariah had a 40+ year contain questions. ministry dating from 520-480 B.C. The last chapters, 9-14, consist of II 11 ( B. Their description. two burd en s cf. 9 :1 and 1 2: 1).

The Jews of the return received Introduction: A call to repentance. ch. 1 :1-6 the book; more specifically, the I. Visions. ch. 1 :7-6:15 remnant who had returned sixteen years before with high hopes of rebuilding I I. Questions. ch. 7:1-8:23

the temple. Local interference caused A. Questions about fasts. ch. 7:1-3 them to forsake the project. They then B. The four-fold answer. ch. 7:4-8:23 became a "me" generation, being ab­ sorbed with personal and domestic I I I . Burdens. ch. 9: 1-14: 21 affairs. That brought the Lord's A. First burden. ch. 9:1-11:17 chastening of crop failure and B. Second burden. ch. 12:1-14: 21 economic depression.

- 50 - - 51 - V. Purpose. MALACHI

completion of the A. To stimulate the temple by proclaiming the restoration Malachi is the last book in our Old Testament of Jerusalem. canon. (That was not true in the Jewish canon, but there is no doubt that he comes at the end In a sense, Zechariah is continuing of the Old Testament period). the ministry of Haggai to get the temple completed, yet he and Haggai appr?ach I. Author. the goal differently. For one th1�g, Haggai uses rebuke, whereas Zechariah Malachi 1:1 says the author was Malachi. employs encouragement. The only Old Testament mention of him is in this verse, and it tells us nothing, B. To promote spiritual revival so the not even his father's name. All we know people could call upon the L rd with . ? is that Jewish tradition says he was humble hearts and commit their ways a member of the great synagogue. to Him. Unger adds, "The canonical and doctri­ To a degree, Haggai and Zechariah nal authority of Malachi is attesied by New differ here, too. Haggai's chief task Testament citation. Compare Malachi 4:5,6 was to arouse the people to the and Matthew 11:10,14; 17:11,12; Mark 9:10, necessity of the outward task for re­ 11; Luke 1:17. Compare Malachi 3:1 with building the temple, whereas Zechariah Matthew 11:10; Mark1 1 :2 and Malachi 1:2,3 goes beyond that to seek an inward wi th Romans 9 : 1 3 .1 ' spiritual renewal of th people. : . Zechariah was not only interested 1n 11. Recipients. the physical rebuilding of the temple, but also the spiritual renewal of the A. Their date. people. Malachi 1:1 does not mention his father, his home town, or the king or Conclusion: kings who reigned during his ministry. Therefore, an exact date cannot be By proclaiming the ultimate restoration established. of Jerusalem, Zechariah urges the people to . rebuild the temple and recommit themselves to However, internal clues can help fix the Lord. an approximate date: (1) the Edomites had been driven from Mt. Seir, but had not returned, necessitating a date after 585 B.C. (cf. 1:3-4). (2) the remant had 1Boa, p.240.

- 52 - - 53 - returned, rebuilt the temple, and had degenerated (1 :6-8). Mixed were offering sacrifices (1 :7-10, marriages were contracted (2:10-12). 3:8). The temple was complete in Payment of tithes had been neglected 112 516 B.C., so the book must have been (3:8-10). written after that. (3) evidently, many years had passed since the B. Their description. offerings were instituted because the priest had grown tired of them and According to the book itself, the corruptions had crept into the system. recipients were the people of Israel (4) the moral and religious problems (1:1, 2:11, 3:6-7), the priests in Malachi are quite similar to those (1:6, 2:1), and a faithful group faced by Ezra and Nehemiah. (5) the (4:2,3). Persian term for governor (pechah) The remnant had returned to is used in 1:8. By itself, all this Jerusalem and the temple had been indicates is that the book was written rebuilt, but the people had become during the Persian domination of selfish and sensual. They had grown Israel (539-333). But the verse careless and neglectful in their indicates that this governor might be spiritual duties. Perhaps their bribed. That would hardly be Nehemiah. interpretation of the glowing Nehemiah returned to Persia in prophecies of the exilic and pre­ 432, but came back to Palestine exilic prophets had led them to ex­ around 425 B.C. and dealt with the pect the Messianic kingdom immediately sins described in Malachi. Therefore, upon their return. They were, there­ it is likely that Malachi proclaimed fore, discouraged and skeptical his message while Nehemiah was absent, (2:17). This doubt of divine justice almost a century after Haggai and had caused them to neglect vital Zechariah began their ministries religion and true piety, and they had (520 B. C.). given place to mere formality. They had not relapsed into idolatry, but All this leads to a date of a spirit of worldliness had crept in about 430 B.C. Unger sums up the and they were guilty of many vices. situation: 11 The book is obviously later than Haggai and Zechariah. The Ill. Subject. temple had not only been completed and sacrifices offered (1 :7-10; 3:8), The subject of Malachi is God's but enough time had elapsed for charges against His people. abuses and laxities to creep in, which Malachi unscathingly condemns. Personal piety of priest and people

- 54 - - 55 - IV. Structure. Conclusion. ch. 4:4-6 ' In his book, Malachi, a Study Guide Six Accusations Commentary, Charles D. Isbell claims there was a style of argumentation that came to 1. You have doubted My love (1 :2) be practiced in Jewish literature in the ch. 1:2-5 5th century B.C. It was characterized 2. You have despised My name (1 :6) by three basic elements: an abrasive ch. .1 :6-2:9 statement, an anticipated objection or 3. You have disobeyed My law (2:14) question, and an elaboration on the original ch. 2:10-16 theme combined with the answering of the 4. You have discredited My promise specific objections (p. 8,9). This basic (2:17). ch. 2:17-3:6 rhetorical question-answer format was the 5. You have defrauded My storehouse method of Malachi. Consequently, some (3:7,8) ch. 3:7-12 scholars have called him the Hebrew 6. You have denied My blessings Socrates. (3:13) ch. 3:13-4:6 Malachi contains a series of God's V. Purpose. accusations against Israel. These are followed by questions, supposedly asked by The purpose of Malachi is to rebuke the audience, but actually stated by the the sins of the priests and the people author. These questions are then so that they would return to the Lord. answered. Seven of these dot the landscape of Malachi; two are used in the same charge. To understand and appreciate the purpose of Malachi, it must be kept in By the way, of the fifty-five verses in that Israel had been, in the past, in Malachi, twenty-seven are spoken by God, � � tn idolatry. The exile had cured that. the highest proportion of all the prophets. They were back in the land --and the temple had been rebuilt. Introduction. ch. 1 : 1 The problem now was lethargy and I. The charge against the nation. stagnation. The priests and people, ch. 1 :2-5 leader� and laymen were callous spiritually. I I. The charge against the priests. Malach, denounces the indifference and ch. 1 :6-2:9 hypocrisy of the priests, impure marriages, Sabbath-breaking, the lack 111. The charge against the people. of personal godliness, their failure to ch. 2:10-4:3 pay their tithes and their skeptism. But the critical point is this: they had outward religious form (the - 56 - - 57 - ORDER FORM

temple), but they lacked inward heart­ Please send me the following cassette tapes from felt righteousness. They were in­ the current series on THE BIBLE: BOOK BY BOOK. different and insensitive to their ' indifference. [ ] THE BIBLE: BOOK BY BOOK (7 vols.)... $100.00 Haggai and Zechariah rebuked the [ ] Old Testament only (4 vols.)...... $60.00 people for failure to rebuild the ] temple. Malachi rebukes them for [ New Testament only (3 vols.) ...... $40.00 neglect of the temple. [ ] Volume 4 only (Hosea - Malachi)..... $15.00 [] Hosea [ ] Joe 1 Conclusion: [ ] Amos [ ] Obadiah Malachi rebukes the sin of the priests and [ ] Jonah the people so that they would return to the [ ] Micah Lord (cf. 3:7). [ ] Nahum [ ] Boa says, 11Ma 1 ach i is a 1 so the on 1 y prophet Habakkuk who ends his book with judgment. While Joel [ ] Zephaniah and Zephaniah present the theme of the day of [ ] Haggai the Lord with greater intensity than Malachi [ ] Zechariah (3:2,17: 4:1 ,3,5), they end on a theme of [ ] Malachi hope and blessing. But Malachi is a fitting conclusion to the Old Testament because it Any of the above cassettes may be purchased underscores the sinful human condition and individually for $2.00 a piece. anticipates God's solution in the work of the coming Messiah." Please add 50¢ per order for postage. am enclosing: 1 $---- to purchase the set(s) checked above. Unger, p.360. $ to purchase Volume 4 only. 2 Unger, p. 359. $____ to purchase the individual tapes checked above. $----as my tax-deductible donation to the Church of the Open Door Radio Ministry. TOTAL AMOUNT ENCLOSED: $----- Name------58 - Address------City______S t ate___,Zip______

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