OBADIAH, JOEL, HAGGAI, and MALACHI

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

OBADIAH, JOEL, HAGGAI, and MALACHI TABLE OF CONTENTS Brief Explanation About the Technical Resources Used in this Commentary Series .... i Brief Definitions of Hebrew Grammatical Forms Which Impact Exegesis........... iii Abbreviations Used in This Commentary.................................... ix How This Commentary Can Help You ...................................... xi A Guide to Good Bible Reading .......................................... xiii Introduction to Obadiah ...............................................1 Obadiah ...........................................................7 Introduction to Joel ..................................................24 Joel 1 ............................................................29 Joel 2 ............................................................42 Joel 3 ............................................................81 Introduction to Haggai ...............................................94 Haggai 1..........................................................97 Haggai 2.........................................................107 Introduction to Malachi .............................................117 Malachi 1 ........................................................123 Malachi 2........................................................137 Malachi 3........................................................148 Malachi 4........................................................163 Appendix One: Old Testament Prophecy ...................................173 Appendix Two: Hebrew Poetry...........................................178 Appendix Three: Brief Historical Survey of the Powers of Mesopotamia ..........181 Appendix Four: Chart of the Entire Old Testament............................190 Appendix Five: Timeline of the Post-Exilic Period ............................193 Appendix Six: Doctrinal Statement........................................194 SPECIAL TOPICS TABLE OF CONTENTS Names for Deity, Obadiah v. 1.......................................................10 Holy, Obadiah v. 17...............................................................20 Fire, Obadiah v. 18................................................................21 Biblical Attitudes Toward Alcohol and Alcoholism, Joel 1:5 ...............................32 Horns Used by Israel, Joel 2:1.......................................................46 Does Any Believer Ever Fall Away?, Joel 2:1...........................................48 Perseverance, Joel 2:1 .............................................................49 Repentance, Joel 2:12 .............................................................53 Heart, Joel 2:13 ..................................................................54 Characteristics of Israel’s God, Joel 2:13 ..............................................55 Lovingkindness (Hesed), Joel 2:13 ...................................................55 Righteousness, Joel 2:23 ...........................................................61 OT Covenant Promises Seem Different from NT Covenant Promises, Joel 2:28................66 The Trinity, Joel 2:28..............................................................72 Women in the Bible, Joel 2:28.......................................................74 Apocalyptic Literature, Joel 2:30-32..................................................76 This Age and the Age to Come, Joel 2:32..............................................78 Bob’s Evangelical Biases, Joel 2:32 ..................................................80 Israel, Joel 3:1 ...................................................................83 Feasts of Israel, Haggai 1:1 .........................................................98 Ancient Near Eastern Calendar, Haggai 1:1 ...........................................100 Glory, Haggai 1:8................................................................103 Spirit in the NT, Haggai 1:14.......................................................105 The Remnant, Three Senses, Haggai 1:14.............................................106 Covenant, Haggai 2:5.............................................................109 Forever (’Olam), Malachi 1:4 ......................................................126 The Fatherhood of God, Malachi 1:6 .................................................129 Anthropomorphic Language for God, Malachi 1:6 ......................................131 Abomination, Malachi 2:11........................................................142 Effective Prayer, Malachi 2:13 .....................................................144 Where Are the Dead?, Malachi 3:3..................................................152 Terms For God’s Revelation, Malachi 3:7.............................................156 Tithe In the Mosaic Legislation, Malachi 3:8 ..........................................158 Tithing, Malachi 3:10.............................................................159 Heaven, Malachi 3:10 ............................................................161 Wealth, Malachi 3:14.............................................................164 Mt. Sinai, Malachi 4:4............................................................170 Brief Explanations of the Technical Resources Used in the “You Can Understand the Bible” Old Testament Commentary Series I. Lexical There are several excellent lexicons available for ancient Hebrew. A. Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament by Francis Brown, S. R. Driver, and Charles A. Briggs. It is based on the German lexicon by William Gesenius. It is known by the abbreviation BDB. B. The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament by Ludwig Koehler and Walter Baumgartner, translated by M. E. J. Richardson. It is known by the abbreviation KB. C. A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament by William L. Holladay and is based on the above German lexicon (#A). D. A new five volume theological word study entitled The New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis, edited by Willem A. Van Gemeren. It is known by the abbreviation NIDOTTE. Where there is significant lexical variety, I have shown several English translations (NASB, NKJV, NRSV, TEV, NJB) from both “word-for-word” and “dynamic equivalent” translations (cf. Gordon Fee & Douglas Stuart, How to Read the Bible For All Its Worth, pp. 28-44). II. Grammatical The grammatical identification is usually based on John Joseph Owens’ Analytical Key to the Old Testament in four volumes. This is cross checked with Benjamin Davidson’s Analytical Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon of the Old Testament. Another helpful resource for grammatical and syntactical features which is used in most of the OT volumes of “You Can Understand the Bible” Series is “The Helps for Translators Series” from the United Bible Societies. They are entitled “A Handbook on .” III. Textual I am committed to the inspiration of the consonantal Hebrew text (not the Masoretic vowel points and comments). As in all hand-copied ancient texts, there are some questionable passages. This is usually because of the following: A. hapax legomenon (words used only once in the Hebrew OT) B. idiomatic terms (words and phrases whose literal meanings have been lost) C. historical uncertainties (our lack of information about the ancient world) D. the poly-semitic semantic field of Hebrew’s limited vocabulary E. problems associated with later scribes hand-copying ancient Hebrew texts F. Hebrew scribes trained in Egypt who felt free to update the texts they copied to make them complete and understandable to their day (NIDOTTE, pp. 52-54). There are several sources of Hebrew words and texts outside the Masoretic textual tradition: 1. The Samaritan Pentateuch 2. The Dead Sea Scrolls 3. Some later coins, letters, and ostraca (broken pieces of unfired pottery used for writing), but for the most part, there are no manuscript families in the OT like those in the Greek NT manuscripts. For a good brief article on the textual reliability of the Masoretic Text (A.D. i 900's) see “The Reliability of the Old Testament Text” by Bruce K. Waltke in the NIDOTTE, vol. 1, pp. 51-67. The Hebrew text used is Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia from the German Bible Society, 1997, which is based on the Leningrad Codex (A .D. 1009). Occasionally, the ancient versions (Greek Septuagint, Aramaic Targums, Syriac Peshitta, and Latin Vulgate) are consulted if the Hebrew is ambiguous or obviously confused. ii BRIEF DEFINITIONS OF HEBREW VERBAL FORMS WHICH IMPACT EXEGESIS I. Brief Historical Development of Hebrew Hebrew is part of the Shemitic (Semitic) family of southwest Asian languages. The name (given by modern scholars) comes from Noah’s son, Shem (cf. Gen. 5:32; 6:10). Shem’s descendants are listed in Gen. 10:21-31 as Arabs, Hebrews, Syrians, Arameans, and Assyrians. In reality, some Semitic languages are used by the nations listed in Ham’s line (cf. Gen. 10:6-14): Canaan, Phoenicia, and Ethiopia. Hebrew is part of the northwest group of these Semitic languages. Modern scholars have samples of this ancient language group: A. Amorite (Mari Tablets from 18th century B.C. in Akkadian) B. Canaanite (Ras Shamra Tablets from 15th century in Ugaritic) C. Canaanite (Amarna Letters from 14th century in Canaanite Akkadian) D. Phoenician (Hebrew uses Phoenician alphabet) E. Moabite (Mesha stone, 840 B.C.) F. Aramaic (official language of the Persian Empire used in Gen. 31:47 [2 words]; Jer. 10:11; Dan. 2:4-6; 7:28; Ezra 4:8-6:18; 7:12-26 and spoken by Jews in the first century in Palestine) The Hebrew language is called “the lip of Canaan” in Isa. 19:18. It was first called
Recommended publications
  • HAGGAI 1) 1:1 – Haggai Was Probably 14 Years Old at the Time of the Destruction of the Temple in 586 BC, So Would Have Been 80
    HAGGAI 1) 1:1 – Haggai was probably 14 years old at the time of the destruction of the Temple in 586 BC, so would have been 80 in 520 when he started his campaign to rebuild the Temple, 17 years after return from exile. He was a very important man, son of Pedaiah. the grandson of Jehoiachin, who was a grandson of Josiah. /// Several psalms, esp 38, are attributed to Haggai. /// Zerubbabel means “offspring of Babylon.” He was born there and with Cyrus’s blessing led the first band of captives back to Jerusalem. He started to rebuild the Temple but for 17 years was prevented by the angry Samaritans (Ezra 3:2-8.) Zerubbabel was born ç 570, in direct line from David, 20 generations later. 2) 1:2 – “Haggai” is related to the Hebrew stem meaning “make a pilgrimage.” It is not known whether he was a returnee from Babylon or had remained behind in Jerusalem. 3) 1:2,5,7,9; 2:4,11,23 – The repetitive use of “Lord of hosts” reflects the thought that though the Lord will be honored by the rebuilding of the Temple, he will never again be limited to it. 4) 1:12 – The scene shifts to three weeks later (see 2:15). /// The phrase “the people feared the Lord” might be better translated as “the people stood in awe of the Lord.” 5) 2:3-4 – Haggai is addressing the people who never left Palestine and who are not pleased with what they see of the rebuilding of the Temple.
    [Show full text]
  • The Minor Prophets Michael B
    Cedarville University DigitalCommons@Cedarville Faculty Books 6-26-2018 A Commentary on the Book of the Twelve: The Minor Prophets Michael B. Shepherd Cedarville University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/faculty_books Part of the Biblical Studies Commons Recommended Citation Shepherd, Michael B., "A Commentary on the Book of the Twelve: The inorM Prophets" (2018). Faculty Books. 201. http://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/faculty_books/201 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@Cedarville, a service of the Centennial Library. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Books by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@Cedarville. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A Commentary on the Book of the Twelve: The inorM Prophets Keywords Old Testament, prophets, preaching Disciplines Biblical Studies | Religion Publisher Kregel Publications Publisher's Note Taken from A Commentary on the Book of the Twelve: The Minor Prophets © Copyright 2018 by Michael B. Shepherd. Published by Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, MI. Used by permission of the publisher. All rights reserved. ISBN 9780825444593 This book is available at DigitalCommons@Cedarville: http://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/faculty_books/201 A COMMENTARY ON THE BOOK OF THE TWELVE KREGEL EXEGETICAL LIBRARY A COMMENTARY ON THE BOOK OF THE TWELVE The Minor Prophets MICHAEL B. SHEPHERD Kregel Academic A Commentary on the Book of the Twelve: The Minor Prophets © 2018 by Michael B. Shepherd Published by Kregel Publications, a division of Kregel Inc., 2450 Oak Industrial Dr. NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49505-6020. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a re- trieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, me- chanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—without written permission of the publisher, except for brief quotations in printed reviews.
    [Show full text]
  • Wheelersburg Baptist Church 8/26/01 Brad Brandt Haggai 1:1-15 "Mixed
    Wheelersburg Baptist Church 8/26/01 Brad Brandt Haggai 1:1-15 "Mixed Up Priorities"** Proposition: According to Haggai 1, three things need to happen in our lives if we’re living with wrong priorities. I. Wrong priorities need to be confronted (1-4). A. Here’s what the people said (2). 1. Take care of yourself first. 2. Give God what’s left. B. Here’s what God said (3-4). 1. The people didn’t have time to do what God wanted. 2. They did have time to do what they wanted. II. Wrong priorities need to be corrected (5-11). A. Think about what you’ve been doing (5-6). 1. When you neglect God, you never have enough. 2. When you put God first, you have all you need. B. Think about what God wants you to do (7-8). 1. Priority #1: Obey God’s will. 2. Priority #2: Live for God’s honor. C. Think about what God is doing to get your attention (9-11). 1. He can make life hard. 2. He does so for His glory and our good. III. Wrong priorities need to be changed (12-15). A. Here’s what change involves (12). 1. It affects our actions. 2. It affects our hearts. B. Here’s what change requires (13-15). 1. Haggai preached the Word. 2. The Lord convicted their hearts. Let’s Take Inventory: If your priorities are out of whack… 1. Take time to think. Þ Is the Lord first in my life? Þ Is the Lord’s will more important than mine? 2.
    [Show full text]
  • Haggai 202 1 Edition Dr
    Notes on Haggai 202 1 Edition Dr. Thomas L. Constable TITLE AND WRITER The title of this prophetic book is also probably the name of its writer.1 Pieter Verhoef mentioned another possibility: "Koole … compares the way other prophetic books originated, and concludes that Haggai, like Jeremiah, probably dictated his own notes to one or two of his disciples. This procedure would account for the third person, the brevity of the record, and the peculiar use of the formula or revelation."2 Haggai referred to himself as simply "the prophet Haggai" (1:1; et al.) We know nothing about Haggai's parents, ancestors, or tribal origin. His name apparently means "festal" or possibly "feast of Yahweh." This is appropriate since much of what Haggai prophesied deals with millennial blessings. His name is a form of the Hebrew word hag, meaning "feast." This has led some students of the book to speculate that Haggai's birth may have occurred during one of Israel's feasts.3 Ezra mentioned that through the prophetic ministries of Haggai and Zechariah, the returned Jewish exiles resumed and completed the restoration of their temple (Ezra 1See R. K. Harrison, Introduction to the Old Testament, pp. 944-48; E. J. Young, Introduction to the Old Testament, pp. 267-69; G. L. Archer Jr., A Survey of Old Testament Introduction, pp. 407-8; H. E. Freeman, An Introduction to the Old Testament Prophets, pp. 326-32. 2Pieter A. Verhoef, The Books of Haggai and Malachi, p. 13. His reference is to J. L. Koole, Haggai, p. 9. 3E.g., Joyce G.
    [Show full text]
  • TIME to REBUILD! Part Two: “Fresh Fire” Haggai 1:12-15 Whenever We
    TIME TO REBUILD! Part Two: “Fresh Fire” Haggai 1:12-15 Whenever we sing as a congregation, we’re doing more than meshing words and music together. We are communicating truth. We are conveying concepts about God that have tremendous implications for our everyday life. In his book, The Knowledge of the Holy, A. W. Tozer wrote, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”1 Tozer went on to say, Were we able to extract from any man a complete answer to the question, “What comes into your mind when you think about God?” we might predict with certainty the spiritual future of that man. Were we able to know exactly what our most influential religious leaders think about God today, we might be able with some precision to foretell where the Church will stand tomorrow. A right conception of God is basic not only to systematic theology but to practical Christian living as well. It is to worship what the foundation is to the temple; where it is inadequate or out of plumb the whole structure must sooner or later collapse.2 This is where our lives converge with the people of Haggai’s day. To rebuild the temple, they had to reorder their priorities. To reorder their priorities, they had to regain a right conception of God and relate that to their everyday life. Let’s quickly review the historical setting, because it helps us to understand the text and how it applies to us. After the reigns of David and Solomon around 1,000 B.C., civil war broke out, and the nation of Israel split into two kingdoms – the Northern Kingdom (Israel) and the Southern Kingdom (Judah).
    [Show full text]
  • Prophecy and Enervation in the American Political Tradition
    City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects 10-2014 Right Without Might: Prophecy and Enervation in the American Political Tradition Jonathan Keller Graduate Center, City University of New York How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/358 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] RIGHT WITHOUT MIGHT: PROPHECY AND ENERVATION IN THE AMERICAN POLITICAL TRADITION by JONATHAN J. KELLER A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty in Political Science in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, The City University of New York 2014 © 2014 JONATHAN J. KELLER All Rights Reserved ii This manuscript has been read and accepted for the Graduate Faculty in Political Science in satisfaction of the dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. PROFESSOR COREY ROBIN _______________ __________________________________________ Date Chair of Examining Committee PROFESSOR ALYSON COLE _______________ __________________________________________ Date Executive Officer PROFESSOR ANDREW J. POLSKY PROFESSOR THOMAS HALPER PROFESSOR BRYAN TURNER PROFESSOR NICHOLAS XENOS __________________________________________ Supervisory Committee THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK iii Abstract RIGHT WITHOUT MIGHT: PROPHECY AND ENERVATION IN THE AMERICAN POLITICAL TRADITION by JONATHAN J. KELLER Adviser: Professor Corey Robin This dissertation examines the ways Old Testament prophecy has influenced American political thought and rhetoric. Although political scientists have long recognized the impact of the Scriptures on the ways Americans express and think about themselves, they have misunderstood this important part of America’s political tradition.
    [Show full text]
  • Haggai and Zechariah 1-8: Diarchic Model of Leadership in a Rebuilding Phase
    http://scriptura.journals.ac.za/ Scriptura 102 (2009), pp. 579-593 HAGGAI AND ZECHARIAH 1-8: DIARCHIC MODEL OF LEADERSHIP IN A REBUILDING PHASE Danie O’Kennedy Old and New Testament University of Stellenbosch Abstract Yahwists in the post-exilic community in Jerusalem envisioned their future in diverse ways. The books of Haggai and Zechariah 1-8 emphasize that in a rebuilding phase God does not merely use a holy place but also special leaders. These books advocate a diarchic model of leadership in which the responsibilities are shared by a religious leader (Joshua) and a political leader (Zerubbabel). This article focuses on this diarchic model of leadership and offers possible responses to the following questions: What do we know of these two leaders? Why did Joshua need purification (Zech 3)? Who was the most influential leader or was there a balance of leadership? Was there conflict between these leaders? The article concludes with a comparison between the diarchic model of leadership in the post-exilic community in Jerusalem and leadership in the first years of a new democratic South Africa. Keywords: Haggai, Zechariah 1-8, Joshua, Zerubbabel, Leadership Introduction Birch et al. (1999:423-424) discuss the diverse ways in which Yahwists in the post-exilic community1 envisioned their future. According to them Haggai, Ezekiel 40-48 and Zechariah 1-8 (either Proto-Zechariah or First Zechariah)2 present the most concrete options. Ezekiel’s restoration vision represents a belief that Israel should be a hierocracy, a nation ruled by priests. Haggai seems to believe in the restoration of the Davidic monarchy through Zerubbabel, a member of the Davidic house.
    [Show full text]
  • The Book of Haggai
    Charles Savelle Center Point Bible Institute 1 THE BOOK OF HAGGAI Message: Failure to put the interests of the Lord before one’s own leads to divine discipline, but putting the Lord first leads to divine blessing. Author: According to the superscription (1:1), the author of the book is Haggai. The name means “festive” or “my feast.” Some have speculated that the prophet may have been born on feast day. Haggai simply calls himself a “prophet” (aybin"). Whether the prophet was born in Jerusalem is uncertain, but he apparently resided there during the time of the messages. Other personal details such as genealogy are unknown. There are only two scriptural references to Haggai elsewhere, both in Ezra (5:1; 6:14; cf. Zech 8:9). Nonetheless, he appears to be the first post-exilic writing prophet in Scripture although he was soon joined by Zechariah. The reference to the Solomonic temple in Haggai 2:3 may indicate that Haggai was an eyewitness to its destruction in 586 B.C. But this would mean that Haggai would probably be well into his seventies by the time that his messages were given. “Some scholars have argued that Haggai was a priest, on the grounds that he appealed to the priest to answer a question on one occasion (2:11); that he was vitally interested in rebuilding the temple; and that his name was connected to some of the psalms in the ancient versions (LXX, 87, 145–148; Vul. 111, 145; Pesh. 125, 126, 145–148).”1 Recipients: The original recipients of Haggai’s messages were clearly post-exilic Jerusalemites.2 More specifically, the first message was addressed to Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, and to Joshua, the high priest, and indirectly to the people (1:1–2), the second message was for Zerubbabel, Joshua, and “the remnant of the people” (2:2), the third message was for the priests (2:11), and the fourth message was for Zerubbabel (2:21).
    [Show full text]
  • Highlights from the Books of Zephaniah & Haggai
    Highlights from the Books of Zephaniah & Haggai Treasures from God’s Word WT Library References Index Index Source Material ............................................................................... 5 Special Note .............................................................................................. 5 An Introduction to the Book of Zephaniah ................................... 6 Summary of the Highlights of the Book of Zephaniah ................ 7 Jehovah’s day of judgment is near ......................................................... 7 Punishment for Judah’s neighbors and more distant Ethiopia and Assyria ....................................................................................................... 7 Jerusalem’s rebellion and corruption ..................................................... 7 The outpouring of Jehovah’s anger and the restoration of a remnant . 7 Zephaniah – Outline of Contents .................................................. 8 Why Beneficial ................................................................................ 8 An Introduction to the Book of Haggai ....................................... 10 Summary of the Highlights of the Book of Haggai .................... 11 Message to people living in paneled houses, while Jehovah’s house lies in ruins .............................................................................................. 11 Proclamation that Jehovah will fill his house with glory ..................... 11 People are shown that neglect of temple rebuilding has made them
    [Show full text]
  • Not So Minor After All Not So Minor After All
    Not So Minor After All Not So Minor After All Define Biblical things in a Biblical way. If this is true, what scripture ever calls these 12 prophets minor? None Luke 24 : 27, 44 “...Moses and all the Prophets…” Twelve Prophets (Aramaic: Trei Asar, "The Twelve"), occasionally Book of the Twelve, is the eighth and last book of the Nevi'im, the second main division of the Jewish Tanakh. The collection is broken up to form twelve individual books in the Christian Old Testament, one for each of the prophets. Not So Minor After All We didn’t understand what they are saying. We do now. We felt there was nothing for us and we didn’t know how to use them. We see now. We felt it would take to long to go through them all. It didn’t just 12 weeks We had a lack of respect to God’s word (Completed Word). We don’t anymore. 12 Prophets Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Nahum Jonah Habakkuk Micah Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi 12 Prophets - Nahum ‘nachum’ (h) – comfort ‘nacham’ (h) – properly to sigh; by implication to be sorry, that is, to pity, console Nahum brings comfort. The book of comfort. Nahum 1 – The Lord is good. He reserves wrath, He is slow to anger, He knows those who trust in Him Nahum 2 – The Lord will restore No one will help Nineveh, she will be desolate, I am against you Nahum 3 – Consider No Amon This undefeatable city, was defeated…who can stop Me? 12 Prophets - Habakkuk ‘chabaqquq’ (h) – embrace Habakkuk is a book written from 3 perspectives: Habakkuk asking God where His embrace has gone God revealing His plan to Habakkuk Habakkuk finding comfort in God’s revealed salvation Habakkuk 1 – Two questions for God How long shall I cry, And you not hear? Why do You hold Your tongue? Habakkuk 1/2 – God’s Answers I am sending someone to deal with this.
    [Show full text]
  • Minor Prophets Fall, 2014
    HB 750: Minor Prophets Fall, 2014 Instructor: Paul Kim Werner Hall 218 (By appointment preferred) (740) 363-1146 email: [email protected] website: http://www.mtso.edu/pkim COURSE DESCRIPTION In this course we will study the twelve minor prophets (Hosea ~ Malachi) in light of historical, canonical, and theological perspectives. Primary attention will be given to the interpretation of selected texts with regard to their socio-historical environments, to the intertextual correlation within the book and the canon, and to their theological implications for the life of the church and contemporary issues in a global context. OBJECTIVES With regard to several focal goals, through this course, we intend to: Read closely the entire twelve prophets in English at least once in this course; Engage in the exegetical practices of select texts from the twelve prophets; Become familiar with the contents, backgrounds, and scholarly issues; Become enamored with the “major” messages of these “minor” prophets; Make a conscientious effort of applying biblical texts toward preaching & ministry. TEXTBOOKS Required: Terence E. Fretheim, Reading Hosea – Micah: A Literary and Theological Commentary (Macon, Ga.: Smyth & Helwys, 2013) James D. Nogalski, The Book of the Twelve: Hosea – Jonah (Macon, Ga.: Smyth & Helwys, 2011) James D. Nogalski, The Book of the Twelve: Micah – Malachi (Macon, Ga.: Smyth & Helwys, 2011) Recommended: John Goldingay and Pamela Scalise, Minor Prophets II (Understanding the Bible Commentary Series; Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson, 2009) Daniel Berrigan, Minor Prophets: Major Themes (Eugene, Ore.: Wipf & Stock, 2009) Ronald L. Troxel, Prophetic Literature: From Oracles to Books (Oxford: Wiley- Blackwell, 2012) 2 REQUIREMENTS 1. Faithful Attendance and Participation in All Sessions: assigned readings should be done prior to each class session and students should be prepared to discuss the issues raised in the readings.
    [Show full text]
  • Prophets (Haggai, Joel, Zechariah, Malachi)
    Basic Training in the Bible Andrew Stepp | Prophets (Haggai, Joel, Zechariah, Malachi) Pre-Exilic (Israel) Pre-Exilic (Judah) Exilic Post Exilic Jonah Isaiah Lamentations Haggai Amos Micah Ezekiel Joel Hosea Nahum Daniel Zechariah Habakkuk Obadiah Malachi Zephaniah Jeremiah Historical Context: . Babylon wipes out Jerusalem 586BC. Defeat of Israel by Assyria: 722 BC . Israel is in exile in Babylon for 70 years . Babylon (who defeated Assyria) is defeated by Assyria falls to Babylon: 612 BC Persia – 539BC . God moves King Cyrus to send Israelites back to Babylonian Exile #1: 605 BC Jerusalem to restore the temple and Jewish Babylonian Exile #2: 598 BC worship Fall of Jerusalem & Exile #3: 586 BC Wave One: In 537 BC, a remnant returns to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel as their leader to rebuild the temple. It’s Babylon Falls to Persia: 539 BC completed in 516 BC. (Haggai 2:1-9). Roughly 42,000 First Wave of Exiles return: 537 BC people returned Second Wave (Ezra): 458 BC Wave Two: In 458 BC, Ezra is sent to Jerusalem by Artaxerxes I, king of Persia. Ezra was a priest and scribe, Third Wave (Nehemiah): 445 BC an expert in the law of Moses and the covenant. (Ezra 7:25-26). Another 5,000 returned with Ezra. Wave Three: Nehemiah leads a remnant back under Artaxerxes to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls and infrastructure. (445 BC) He also repopulated the city, built a governor’s house, created administrative infrastructure, and restored the city in general. JOEL “A devastating locust plague sets the stage for a twofold summons to repentance, to which God responds with a promise of mercy and an outpouring of his Spirit, with a day of judgment on the nations.” “The Day of the Lord” A Good Day or a Bad One? 1 HAGGAI Four oracles encouraging God’s people to rebuild the temple Directly addressed Zerubbabel the governor, Joshua the priest, and the people in Jerusalem.
    [Show full text]