1HOSEA -- “God’s Boundless Love & Faithfulness”

[For an understanding of the Book of Hosea in its Old Testament setting, see the “Chart of Old Testament Chronology” distributed in class. Hosea was a prophet to the Northern Kingdom of Israel during the 25 tumultuous years just prior to its tragic fall to Assyria in 722 B.C. During these years six kings reigned, four of whom were murdered by their successors while in office, and one of whom was captured in battle.]

Israel’s Infidelity Illustrated (1:1-3:5)

1. The opening verse of Hosea places his prophetic ministry during the reigns of Uzziah (792-740), Jotham (750-732), Ahaz (735-715), and Hezekiah (729-686) of Judah, and Jeroboam II (793-753) of Israel. What do we learn from the opening verses of Isaiah and Amos regarding the dating of their prophecies?

2. In v.2, Hosea is commanded to take Gomer as his “adulterous wife”. There are four different views of the nature of Hosea’s marriage to Gomer:

 hypothetical marriage (a vision or an allegory)

 spiritual infidelity (worshiping of false gods)

 literal marriage -- Gomer unchaste (at time of marriage)

 literal marriage -- Gomer chaste (became adulterous later)

Most scholars support either the third or fourth view.

3. According to vv.3-9, Gomer bore two sons and a daughter. What were their names and what did their names signify?

4. In 1:10-2:1, we get a glimpse of a glorious future when Judah and Israel will be reunited as “sons of the living God.” This focus on Israel’s future restoration is a recurring theme throughout Hosea and the other Old Testament prophets.

5. In 2:2-13, God’s judgment on faithless Israel is described from the perspective of a jilted husband who has been abandoned by his wife in pursuit of other lovers. Who do you suppose these ‘lovers’ are (vv.5,7,10,12,13)?

6. Again in 2:14-23 the future restoration of Israel is portrayed. What will God’s ‘second marriage’ to Israel be like (vv.19-20)?

7. Finally, in Chapter 3 God commands Hosea to take back his wife (in spite of her unfaithfulness) just as He has done to Israel. The application for us is clear: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8).

[Next week: Hosea 4-7]

HOSEA -- “God’s Boundless Love & Faithfulness”

[Throughout Hosea, Israel is often referred to as Ephraim because the territory of Ephraim included Bethel, the center of calf-worship instituted there by Jeroboam I (I Kings 12:28-13:32), and was a center of political activity concentrated around Shechem and Samaria on her northern border.]

Israel’s Indictment (4:1-7:16)

1. What is the Lord’s ‘charge’ against Israel according to vv.1-3? Which of the Ten Commandments are being violated?

2. The priests are indicted in vv.4-9. What were their sins? What is the primary responsibility of the clergy in every generation?

3. The sins of the general populace are described in vv.10-19. What is the one sin that keeps coming up in these verses and why is it so devastating (vv.10,12)?

4. In 5:1-7, a warning is issued to priest, people, and king (v.1). God knows all about Israel (v.3), but Israel did not know God (v.4). Therefore, He has withdrawn Himself from them (v.6). Is America on a similar ‘collision course’ with God?

5. In 5:8-15, both Israel and Judah are warned of certain judgment. What was Israel’s costly mistake according to vv.13-14?

6. Chapter 6 begins with a shallow call for repentance in recognition of the Lord as Israel’s true healer (cf. 5:13) and with the assumption that God’s wrath would be short-lived (6:2). The rest of Chapter 6 (vv.4-11) is a continued indictment against the people and suggests that Israel’s repentance was superficial.

7. Does 6:6 mean that God is opposed to the Old Testament sacrificial system (cf. I Sam. 15:22)? If not, what is the point?

8. Chapter 7 describes the political sins of Israel both domestically (vv.1-7) and in her relations with Assyria and Egypt (vv.8-16). In the latter section, Israel is likened to a “flat cake not turned over” (v.8), a silly dove (v.11), and “a faulty bow” (v.16). What is intended by each of these metaphors?

[Next week: Hosea 8-10]

HOSEA -- “God’s Boundless Love & Faithfulness”

Israel’s Punishment (8:1-10:15)

1. There are at least five sins of Israel that are mentioned in Hosea 8. Can you find them in vv.1, 4a, 4b-6, 9 and 11?

2. What makes idolatry so unbelievably irrational according to v.6? (See also I Ki. 12:28; Jer. 16:20; Isa. 44:12-20)

3. What do you suppose is the meaning of the proverbial saying in v.7: “They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind.”?

4. What was Israel’s ultimate problem according to v.14? Does America have a similar problem today?

5. In Hosea 9, five judgments are mentioned that will come upon Israel. Can you find them in vv.1-2, 3-6, 7-9, 10-16, and 17?

6. According to v.7, how was the prophet of God looked upon in Israel? Do pastors bear a similar image in our society today?

7. How did God look upon Israel in her earlier days (v.10; see also 10:1 and 11:1)? But what went wrong according to the statements which follow in these three passages?

8. In 9:10, we read that when Israel fell into idolatry at Baal Peor (Num. 25:1-9), they “became as vile as the thing they loved.” Someone has said that man “makes his god in his own image and likeness, the essence and concentration of his own bad passions, and then conforms himself to the likeness, not of God, but of what was most evil in himself.”

9. According to 10:1, greater prosperity in Israel led to increased idolatry. Sound familiar?

10. According to vv.5-6, what will happen to Israel’s ‘god’, the calf-idol that was worshiped at Beth Aven (“house of wickedness”), a derogatory substitute name for Bethel (“house of God”)?

[Next week: Hosea 11-14]

HOSEA -- “God’s Boundless Love & Faithfulness”

Israel’s Restoration (11:1-14:9)

1. In 11:1-4, we have a beautiful picture of God’s love for Israel in the figure of a father’s love for his son. How did Ephraim respond to this love?

2. In what sense do we find v.1b (“Out of Egypt I called my son.”) quoted in the New Testament (Mt. 2:15)?

3. Because Ephraim is determined to spurn God’s love for him, God must punish his sins (11:5-7); however, God’s boundless love will ultimately prevail and Israel will eventually be restored (vv.8-11) rather than being annihilated like Admah and Zeboiim (destroyed with Sodom and Gomorrah; Gen. 14:8).

4. Once again in the last verse of chapter 11 and in chapter 12, the foolish sins of God’s people (including Judah) are recounted. For example, in 12:1 Ephraim makes a treaty with Assyria while at the same time sending olive oil to Egypt to gain her support against Assyria! This kind of duplicity would eventually lead to Israel’s ruin.

5. In v.8, Ephraim boasts of his wealth and wrongly concludes that this prosperity is an indication of God’s approval and therefore of his own sinlessness. Is America’s continuing prosperity to be understood as a sign of God’s blessing upon us?

6. Although Ephraim was once honored as a leader among the tribes of Israel, “he became guilty of Baal worship and died” (13:1). In what sense did Ephraim die? What four images does Hosea use in 13:3 to describe Israel’s impending doom?

7. What earlier Old Testament passage does 13:4 bring to mind? There is an interesting sequence that occurs in vv.5-6. How might these two verses apply to our lives today?

8. In 13:12-13, Ephraim is depicted both as a mother in travail and as the child in the womb who does not come forth at the appointed time. This gloomy picture is followed in v.14 by a promise of victory over death, one of the clearest Old Testament references to resurrection (quoted in I Cor.15:55; see also Ps. 16:10; 49:15; Isa. 25:8).

9. The concluding chapter of Hosea is a fitting climax to the Book, for it focuses on Israel’s repentance and God’s promised forgiveness. What are some things we can learn about repentance from 14:1-3 and about God’s forgiveness from 14:4-9?

[Next week: Joel 1:1-2:11]

JOEL -- “The Day of the Lord”

[Author: Joel (= “Jehovah is God”), son of Pethuel; nothing more known. Date: Very uncertain (anywhere from 900 to 400 B.C.), but possibly around 830 B.C. (see Chart of OT Chronology), making it the earliest of the Minor Prophets. Audience: Southern Kingdom of Judah. Message: 1:2-2:17 -- locust plague as an occasion for a call to repentance, without which a greater judgment will follow; 2:18-3:21-- the Day of the Lord: a day of blessing for Israel, but of terror for her enemies.]

A Devastating Plague of Locusts (1:2-2:11)

1. In 1:2-12, Joel describes a locust plague unlike any that had ever occurred in Israel. Virtually everything green is gone!

2. In v.5, drunkards mourn because there is no more wine (This is the only sin referred to in Joel; for example, there is no mention of idolatry which was the constant sin of Hosea’s prophecy.).

3. Temple worship in Jerusalem is affected because there are no grain or drink offerings possible due to the plague (Note again the three chief agricultural products in v.10; cf. 2:19, 24).

4. In 1:13-20, the priests and elders and all the people are exhorted to cry out to the Lord in repentance, for “the day of the Lord” is near (v.15). This is the first of five references to “the day of the Lord” in Joel (see also 2:1, 11, 31; 3:14).

5. Even the animals are represented as crying out in agony (v.18) as a consequence of man’s sin. Do you see any parallels in contemporary society? What passage in the Psalms does v.20 bring to mind?

6. In 2:1-11, the portrayal of the locust plague takes the form of an invading army with horses and chariots (vv.4-5). The head of the locust (or grasshopper) is so much like the head of a horse that the Italians call it cavalette (“little horse”) and the Germans speak of locusts as heupferde (“hay horses”). Try to picture a grasshopper 80x larger!

7. In vv.3-11, the terror of the invading locusts is heightened by a relentless series of staccato statements describing their advance. According to one source, the noise of the locusts (v.5) can be heard six miles off (Wycliffe Commentary, p.823).

8. When we come to vv.10-11, we are suddenly translated to the final “day of the Lord,” a day of terrible judgment! Who can endure it? Apparently, no one! The only escape is through repentance (2:12-17).

[Next week: Joel 2:12-3:21]

JOEL -- “The Day of the Lord”

An Urgent Call to Repentance (2:12-17)

1. What is meant by the words, “Rend your heart and not your garments” (v.13; cf. Psalm 51:17)? What do we learn about God in vv.13-14?

2. What is the difference in purpose between the blowing of the trumpet (i.e., the shofar) in 2:1 and in 2:15?

The Day of the Lord: A Day of Blessing for Israel (2:18-32)

3. In vv.18-20, the plague of locusts (and of invasion from the north) is removed in response to Israel’s repentance.

4. In vv.21-27, the land is once again becoming a lush green with vegetation and fruitfulness. What is the significance of the autumn and spring rains (v.23; cf. James 5:7) for the agriculture of Israel?

5. In what New Testament event do we find the prophecy of vv.28-32 fulfilled, at least in part (cf. Acts 2:16-21)? Were vv.30-31 fulfilled at that time?

6. In God’s judgments, he always provides a means of escape for those who will call upon his name (v.32; cf. Acts 2:38). The deeper theological question is this: are we able to call upon the Lord unless he first calls us (v.32; cf. Acts 2:39)?

The Day of the Lord: A Day of Judgment for the Nations (3:1-21)

7. The events of Chapter 3 will apparently take place after the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost and therefore have to do with God’s judgment upon the nations in the last days. What will be the basis for this judgment, according to vv.2-6?

8. Compare 3:10 with Isa. 2:4 and Micah 4:3. Instead of a time of peace, Israel and the nations are to prepare for battle.

9. Joel’s prophecy ends on a positive note for God’s people:

“Judah will be inhabited forever and Jerusalem through all generations. Their bloodguilt which I have not pardoned, I will pardon. The Lord dwells in Zion!

[Next week: Amos 1-2]

AMOS -- “Let Justice Roll Down!”

[Author: Amos, a shepherd and tender of sycamore-fig trees from Tekoa in Judah; Date: During the reigns of Judah’s Uzziah (792-740 B.C.) and Israel’s Jeroboam II (793-753 B.C.); probably about 755 B.C.; Recipients: Northern Kingdom of Israel in one of her greatest times of prosperity; Message: A cry for social justice and national repentance, without which terrible calamity would fall upon Israel, a prophecy which was soon to be realized in the fall of Samaria to Assyria in 722 B.C.]

Judgments on the Nations (1:3-2:16)

1. In this opening section of Amos, we find a series of six oracles of judgment against Israel’s surrounding neighbors. But the judgments do not end there. Amos concludes this section with a burning indictment against Judah and Israel, God’s own people. Note the geographical location of these eight groups. Do you see any pattern in the sequence?

Damascus (1:3-5) Ammon (1:13-15)

Gaza (1:6-8) Moab (2:1-3)

Tyre (1:9-10 Judah (2:4-5)

Edom (1:11-12) Israel (2:6-16)

2. Each of the eight oracles begins with the words, “For three sins....even for four.” This is not to be taken literally, but signifies a full and complete number. Their wickedness was growing from year to year and the cup of their iniquity was filled to overflowing.

3. In vv.6-8, we have references to Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, and Ekron. Where are these cities located and what enemy of Israel lived in them? What fifth city is usually identified with these four?

4. The wicked city of Tyre (v.9) was located on an island just off the coast of Phoenicia and was almost impregnable. The city was finally destroyed by Alexander the Great in 332 B.C. after a seven-month siege which involved the building of a causeway to the city, thus converting an island into a peninsula!

5. What is the indictment against Judah (2:4) and how does this differ from the charges against her neighbors? How do you account for this?

6. What particular sins of Israel are singled out in 2:6-8? The oppression of the poor is mentioned repeatedly by Amos as one of the primary sins of Israel (cf. 4:1;5:11;8:6). Father and son lie with the same prostitute beside pagan altars on garments taken in pledge (cf. Ex. 22:26-27).

7. How is the hardness of Israel’s heart demonstrated in 2:12 (cf. 7:12-13)?

[Next week: Amos 3:1-5:17]

AMOS -- “Let Justice Roll Down!”

Oracles Against Israel (3:1-5:17)

1. Israel was God’s chosen people, privileged above all other nations. What does such privilege entail, according to 3:1-2? How does this apply to us as Christians (cf. Eph. 1:4; I Pet. 2:9)?

2. What is the point that Amos is making in vv.3-6, and how do these verses prepare us for the understanding of vv.7-8?

3. In 3:9-4:3, Amos speaks of society without justice. According to 3:10, how does moral corruption affect one’s ability to discern between right and wrong?

4. Assyria will ravage Israel as a lion ravages a lamb (v.12); the altars of Bethel will be destroyed and the horns of the altar cut off (v.14; cf. I Ki. 1:50-51); the summer and winter homes of the wealthy will be demolished (v.15); and the sensual women of Samaria (“cows of Bashan”) will be led away to captivity by cords attached to rings in their lips (4:1-3).

5. In 4:4-13, Amos speaks of religion without spirituality. Israel loved to boast about her religious routines, but it was mere formalism and false religion (4:4-5). Internal decay was eating at her vitals as she attempted to mix the worship of God with the worship of Baal (cf. I Ki. 18:21; Matt. 6:24).

6. God used a number of providential calamities in an effort to gain Israel’s attention (vv.6-11), but without effect. Five times it is repeated: “yet you have not returned to me, declares the Lord.” Therefore, the solemn warning comes in v.12: “prepare to meet your God, O Israel.”

7. In 5:1-17, Amos offers a lament (funeral dirge) over Israel in anticipation of her destruction, but intermingles a call for repentance (4-6; 14-15). It is understood that, although the nation of Israel will be destroyed, a remnant will survive.

8. When a nation’s court system is corrupted, justice is turned to bitterness (5:7) and the very fabric of justice is destroyed. On the other hand, if justice is maintained in the courts, perhaps the Lord will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph (v.15).

[Next week: Amos 5:18-7:17]

AMOS -- “Let Justice Roll Down!”

Announcements of Exile (5:18-6:14)

1. In 5:18-20, how does Amos emphasize the terror of God’s coming judgment?

2. In vv.21-23, we have a classic description of God’s hatred of empty religious routine. What, if anything, do you think God hates about worship in the church today?

3. In one of Scripture’s most majestic utterances (v.24), Amos cries out for justice and righteousness, qualities that were almost non-existent in Israel at this time. The appeal fell on deaf ears and the announcement of exile beyond Damascus comes only three verses later in v.27.

4. In 6:1-7, Amos speaks out against Israel’s (and Judah’s) complacency. What does it mean to be “at ease in Zion” (v.1; KJV)? What is perhaps the greatest contribution to such an attitude of complacency (vv.4-6)?

5. In 6:8-14, we have further detail of God’s imminent judgment upon Israel. God has sworn that it will surely happen (v.8). What additional sin of Israel is mentioned in v.8?

Three Visions of Divine Judgment (7:1-17)

6. In 7:1-9, the Lord shows Amos three visions that portray the judgment of God upon Israel: swarms of locusts (1-3); an all-consuming fire (4-6); and a plumb line (7-9). In the first two instances, the Lord withheld his judgment. What persuaded the Lord to change his mind (vv.2,5)?

7. What is the meaning of the plumb line that Amos saw in his third vision (vv.7-8)? As v.9 indicates, the Lord is no longer willing to alter his plan—the house of Jeroboam is doomed!

8. Who is Amaziah and what is his message to Amos (7:10-13)? Does Amos take his advice (vv.14-16)? What message does Amos have for Amaziah (v.17)? Application: We need prophets today who will boldly proclaim the whole counsel of God, not just what people want to hear (cf. Acts 20:27; II Tim. 4:3).

[Next week: Amos 8-9]

AMOS -- “Let Justice Roll Down!”

Two Additional Visions of Divine Judgment (8:1-9:10)

1. In this fourth vision (8:1-10), Amos sees a basket of summer fruit. What does this ripe fruit symbolize? Rather than songs of thanksgiving for the harvest, there will be wailing with “Many, many bodies—flung everywhere!” And then “Silence!” (v.3).

2. What were the sins of Israel that made her ripe for judgment, according to vv.4-6? But what even greater sin lies behind all of the nation’s moral, social, and political decay (v.14)?

3. God’s judgment is described in vv.7-10. As Hailey says, “This is a terribly black picture, but one painted by divine brush and palette from oils and pigments provided by the people themselves.”

4. In addition to terrible judgment, there will be “a famine of hearing the words of the Lord” (vv.11-14). What does this mean (cf. Micah 3:4, 7)?

5. In his fifth and final vision, Amos sees the Lord standing by the altar, poised and ready to pour out his judgment on Israel (9:1). There is no possibility of escaping this judgment (vv.2-4). The omnipresence of God is a comfort to the good, but a terror to the wicked.

6. The Sovereign Lord, creator and sustainer of the universe (vv.5-6), will destroy Israel from the face of the earth (v.8). Just as stones are retained in the grain sieve as the kernels fall through, so Israel will surely be preserved for destruction (vv.9-10).

Israel’s Future Restoration (9:11-15)

7. Like a beam of sunlight breaking through the dark storm clouds, Amos ends his prophecy with a message of hope as he articulates the blessings of a restored Israel (vv.11-15).

8. What is the meaning of v.13: “....the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grapes”?

9. Though Israel will be devastated, God will preserve a remnant from among his people, “never again to be uprooted” (v.15).

[Next week: Obadiah]

OBADIAH -- “God’s Judgment Upon Edom”

[Author: Obadiah (= “Servant of the Lord”), author of the shortest book of the Old Testament; nothing more known of him; Date: uncertain, but possibly around the time of the fall of Jerusalem (586 B.C.); Audience: the people of Edom, a land south of the Dead Sea and peopled by the descendants of Esau; Message: judgment upon the Edomites, particularly because of their harsh treatment of God’s people in Judah and Jerusalem]

Judgment Upon Edom (vv.2-14)

1. Who was Esau and what do we know about him and his descendants from the early books of the Old Testament (cf. Gen. 25:22-34; 27; 32-33; Num. 20:14-21)?

2. According to vv.2-4, what was the basic sin of the Edomites? What was there about the geography of Edom that contributed to her sin? How do pride and self-sufficiency run contrary to Christian living (Lk. 14:11)?

3. According to the Greek historian, Diodorus Siculus, the Edomites hid their wealth accumulated from trade in vaults in the rocks (e.g., the rock fortress of Petra). What will happen to their treasures (v.6)?

4. The Edomites were known for their wisdom (Eliphaz, one of Job’s counselors, was a Temanite; Job 4:1). What will happen to the wise men of Edom (vv.8-9)?

5. In vv.10-14, Obadiah gives the cause of God’s judgment against Edom. Can you summarize the reason in a few words? Esau and Jacob were twin brothers. How do we treat our brothers and sisters in Christ in their times of defeat or difficulty (Gal. 6:1; I Cor. 12:26)?

The Day of the Lord (vv.15-21)

6. When God pours out judgment upon Edom, what will be the measure of his judgment (v.15)? What New Testament principle does this bring to mind (Gal. 6:7-8)?

7. According to vv.17-18, how will the future of Judah and Israel differ from that of Edom? Whom will God use to punish Edom?

8. In the concluding verses of Obadiah (19-21), we learn that the lands around Zion, including Edom, will be occupied by the remnant of God’s people Israel....“And the kingdom will be the Lord’s.” This reminds us of the ultimate kingdom of Revelation 11:15: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever.”

[Next week: Jonah 1-2]

JONAH -- “Lessons From a Runaway Prophet”

[Author: Jonah (= “dove”), son of Amittai; from Gath Hepher in Zebulun (II Ki. 14:25), a village just north of New Testament Nazareth; Date: Uncertain, but probably during the reign of Jeroboam II (793-753 B.C.), a time of prosperity in Israel and of Assyrian weakness; Authenticity: The historicity of this book has been attacked more than that of any other book in the Bible, especially the swallowing of Jonah by the fish and his preservation in it; but, if we remove the miraculous from our Bibles, what do we have left? Not much!; Message: Jonah is the great missionary book of the Old Testament. Unfortunately, the messenger was unwilling to obey until he got into “deep” trouble.]

Jonah Runs From His Mission (1-2)

1. Where were the cities of Nineveh, Joppa, and Tarshish (vv.1-3)? How does an understanding of geography add further insight to Jonah’s flight from God?

2. Why did Jonah choose to run from God (v.3; cf. 4:2)? What do we know about the Ninevites that might help us to empathize with Jonah?

3. As in the narrative develops in vv.4-17, the Lord takes an active role in preventing Jonah’s flight. What specific examples of his intervention can you identify?

4. How do you think Jonah felt when he identified himself and his God to these pagan sailors (vv.9-10)?

5. How does the attitude of the sailors in vv.13-14 contrast with Jonah’s attitude toward Nineveh?

6. What is the New Testament parallel to the remarkable event in v.17 (cf. Mt. 12:40)? Does the reference to “three days and three nights” present any difficulty in this regard? If so, how can we deal with it?

7. In 2:2-9, we have Jonah’s prayer as he cried out to God from the belly of the great fish. This prayer is filled with reminiscences of passages from the Psalms, suggesting that Jonah’s mind must have been full of the Word of God.

8. It is clear from Jonah’s prayer that he is convinced of the Lord’s involvement in all that has taken place (e.g., 2:3).

9. Once Jonah acknowledges his vows to the Lord and confesses the Lord as his salvation (v.9), the Lord releases Jonah from his prison and Jonah is given a second chance (v.10; 3:1).

[Next week: Jonah 3-4]

JONAH -- “Lessons From a Runaway Prophet”

Jonah Reluctantly Fulfills His Mission (3-4)

1. The Lord graciously commissions Jonah a second time without rebuking him for his previous flight (3:1-2). Jonah had learned his lesson in the belly of the great fish, so this time he obeyed and went to Nineveh, a month’s journey by camel (v.3).

2. According to v.3, Nineveh was “a very important city—a visit required three days.” Scholars believe that the city and its suburbs (“greater Nineveh”) may have been 60 miles in circumference, with a population of 600,000 or more. Nineveh proper was surrounded by a wall 8 miles in circumference, 100' high and broad enough for chariots to ride three abreast upon it.

3. What was Jonah’s message according to v.4? What is the significance of periods of 40 days in scripture (cf. Gen. 7:17;

Ex. 24:18; Num. 13:25; I Ki. 19:8; Mt. 4:2)?

4. How did the people of Nineveh respond (vv.5-9)? It is doubtful that there has ever been a larger response to the preaching of the man of God than occurred in Nineveh?

5. How did God respond to the repentance of the people (v.10)? Jonah’s message was that Nineveh would be destroyed after 40 days (3:4). Now the Lord has compassion and cancels his judgment. Did God change his mind (cf. Jer. 18:7-10)?

6. Chapter 3 ends on a happy note and we might prefer that the book had ended there, but there is a painful lesson yet to be learned in Chapter 4. How did Jonah respond to Nineveh’s repentance and what does that teach us about the heart of man (4:1-4)? Jonah may have feared that Israel would lose their “favored nation” status. Do we ever feel that America is somehow deserving of God’s special favor?

7. Jonah built himself a shelter outside the city and sat down to see what would happen to the city (v.5). What was God’s purpose in sending the gourd, worm, and scorching wind (vv.6-11)?

8. What practical lessons can we learn from the book of Jonah?

[Next week: Micah 1-2]

MICAH -- “A Message of Triumph in the Midst of Doom”

[Author: Micah (= “Who is like Jehovah?”), from Moresheth Gath, 20 miles SW of Jerusalem in southern Judah. Date: During the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, & Hezekiah, kings of Judah (750-686 B.C.), a contemporary of Isaiah and Hosea; began prophesying before the fall of Samaria (1:6) and continued into the reign of Hezekiah (Jer. 26:18-19). Audience: Both Israel & Judah. Message: Alternates between prophecies of doom and of hope; Smith states: “[Micah] had Amos’s passion for justice and Hosea’s heart for love.”]

Judgment Against Samaria and Judah (1-2)

1. Micah begins this first section with a solemn announcement to all nations that the day of the Lord is at hand, a day of reckoning (v.2). How is the Lord’s coming described in vv.3-4?

2. What is the cause of God’s judgment against Samaria and Jerusalem according to v.5? God’s judgment against Samaria (v.6) came in 722 B.C. when she was totally devastated and taken captive by the Assyrians (II Ki. 17:6).

3. Micah weeps and wails for the judgment that is about to fall upon Samaria, for “her wound is incurable” and the same wound is reaching even to the gate of Jerusalem (v.9).

4. In vv.10-16, we have a sort of funeral dirge in which Micah uses a series of paronomasias (puns) on the names of villages in Judah to express his grief (e.g., “In Gath [“Tell Town”] tell it not” or today we might say, “You who live in Woodburn, all of your dwelling places will be consumed with fire”).

5. In 2:1-5, Micah cries out against the injustices of the wealthy landowners who had taken advantage of the poor. Instead of taunting the poor, the rich will themselves be subjected to the taunts of their conquerors—the dreaded Assyrians!

6. In vv.6-11, Micah (with God) speaks against false prophets who give the people exactly what they want to hear, a sugar-coated message of affluence (v.11; cf. II Tim. 4:3). Sound familiar?

7. Micah interrupts his message of judgment with a word of hope and encouragement to end this first section (vv.12-13). Although Israel will be taken into captivity, a remnant will return.

[Next week: Micah 3-5]

MICAH -- “A Message of Triumph in the Midst of Doom”

Present Devastation and Future Exaltation (3-5)

1. In 3:1-4, Micah delivers an oracle against the civil rulers of Judah who have been ‘cannibalistic’ in their treatment of the common people. “There are no stronger similes found anywhere in Scripture” (Hailey). How will God respond to such evil (v.4)?

2. In vv.5-8, Micah speaks out against false prophets who preach peace and prosperity in return for material benefits. How will God respond to them (vv.6-7)? What two major contrasts exist between Micah and these false prophets (v.8)?

3. In vv.9-12, Micah describes the corruption of the entire ruling class of Judah. What is the motivating factor for all three groups (v.11)? How will God respond to such perversion (v.12)? This verse is quoted 100 years later in Jer. 26:18, “the only place in the OT where one prophet quotes another and identifies his source” (NIV Study Bible).

4. In Chapters 4-5, we are introduced to Messianic hope in contrast to present destruction. In 4:1-8, Micah speaks of the glories of Zion in “the last days”. Does this refer to the present age inaugurated by Christ or the future Millennium? [Note the similarity between vv.1-3 and Isa. 2:2-4 and the contrast between v.3 and Joel 3:10.]

5. In 4:9-5:1, Micah moves from the future glories of Zion back to the present realities of impending captivity. In vv.9-10, the Babylonian Captivity of 586 B.C. is foretold over a century before its occurrence. In vv.11-13, Micah speaks of the defeat of the Assyrian army in their effort to capture Jerusalem in 701 B.C. (cf. Isa. 37:36-38).

6. In 5:1, Micah seems to be describing Nebuchadnezzar’s attack on Jerusalem in 586 B.C. when King Zedekiah was smitten (II Ki. 25:1-7).

7. In the midst of oracles of warfare and captivity, Micah introduces an event 700 years future, the rise of the Deliverer, the babe of Bethlehem whose origins are from everlasting (v.2). He will rule as a majestic shepherd and his peaceful reign will reach to the ends of the earth (vv.3-5a).

8. The remainder of Chapter 5 announces the deliverance of God’s people from all her enemies. What two similes are used to describe the influence of God’s people upon the nation in vv.7-8?

9. According to vv.10-15, spiritual Israel will win her battles by dependence on God alone. Weapons of war will be of no use in the future kingdom.

[Next week: Micah 6-7]

MICAH -- “A Message of Triumph in the Midst of Doom”

[In these last two chapters, God’s case against Israel is presented in the form of a lawsuit. “The prophet is represented as the prosecuting attorney for Jehovah, with the mountains and the hills....as the court and the judges. Jehovah pleads through the prophet; the people reply; the mountains and the hills sit in silent judgment” (quoted from Carlson, Wycliffe Commentary).]

God’s Controversy with Israel (6)

1. In 6:1-5, Micah presents God’s complaint against Israel, calling upon the mountains to listen and sit in judgment (vv.1-2). The formal plea is stated in v.3. Rather than waiting for their answer, how does God continue in vv.4-5?

2. In vv.6-7, Israel responds with a series of questions. What do these questions reveal about Israel’s misunderstanding of worship?

3. One writer refers to v.8 as “the greatest saying of the Old Testament.” What does it mean “to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (cf. Isa. 1:11-20)?

4. In vv.9-12, Micah presents God’s second complaint against Israel. How does Israel’s behavior contradict the teaching of v.8? What will be the consequences of Israel’s disobedience according to vv.13-16?

The Triumph of God’s Grace (7)

5. Chapter 7 begins with a pitiful description of the ravages of sin. The godly have disappeared from the land, men lie in wait to shed blood, leaders are corrupt—“the best of them is like a brier, the most upright worse than a thorn hedge” (v.4). Their plans and schemes had so tangled together that it would be impossible to unravel them.

6. According to vv.5-6, all normal relationships are out of joint (cf. the disintegration of the family in contemporary society).

7. In the face of such perilous times, Micah finds hope in the only place where hope can be found—in “God my Savior” (v.7). In vv.8-13, Micah speaks of (remnant) Israel’s repentance and God’s ultimate deliverance that will follow her time of suffering.

8. In v.14, Micah prays for Israel and then describes her deliverance (v.15) and the humiliation of the nations before the Sovereign God (vv.16-17). The closing doxology (vv.18-20) is repeated by the orthodox Jew on Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) as he stands by a flowing stream and symbolically empties his pockets of his sins into the water.

[Next week: Nahum]

NAHUM -- “Woe to Nineveh!”

[Author: Nahum (= “Consolation”), a prophet from Elkosh(?); nothing more known. Date: Between 663 B.C. (destruction of Thebes; 3:18) and 612 B.C. (fall of Nineveh). Audience: Southern kingdom of Judah (Northern kingdom had gone into exile to Assyria 100 yrs. previous). Message: One long relentless announcement of doom against Nineveh, capital of Assyria. G. A. Smith describes Nahum’s prophecy as follows: “His language is brilliant; his rhythm rumbles and rolls, leaps and flashes, like the horsemen and chariots he describes.”]

1. In 1:2-8, Nahum begins at the very outset of his prophecy to speak of the severity of God’s wrath against his enemies. But where in these verses do we see “God’s other side” coming through?

2. In vv.9-15, the destruction of Nineveh is described more specifically: “consumed like dry stubble” (v.10); “will be cut off and pass away” (v.12); “no descend-ants to bear your name” (v.14); “I will prepare your grave, for you are vile” (v.14); “...completely destroyed” (v.15). What is bad news for Nineveh is good news for Judah (vv.12b-13,15). The announcement of v.15a also occurs in Isa. 52:7 and in Rom. 10:15. What are the various messages of good news that are announced in these passages?

3. The prophecy against Nineveh intensifies in Chapter 2 as the advancing forces of her enemies, the Babylonians and Medes, are described in terrifying Technicolor (e.g., vv.3-4).

4. In 2:5-10, panic nearly paralyzes the defenders of the city as the soldiers stumble about (v.5), the slave girls moan (v.7), the terrified inhabitants flee (“‘Stop! Stop!’ they cry, but no one turns back”; v.8), and “Hearts melt, knees give way, bodies tremble, every face grows pale” (v.10). The great city of Nineveh with all of its accumulated wealth (v.9) is now experiencing the same kind of cruelty which she had inflicted on other nations for centuries.

5. In vv.11-13, Assyria is described as a den of lions because of her cruel treatment of her enemies and because many lion sculptures were found within her. But when God is against you (v.13), beware!!

6. Once again in 3:1-3, we have a description of the fierceness of battle so vivid that one can almost hear and see the mighty struggle (cf. NIV Study Bible notes). Why, according to vv.4-7, does God shame Nineveh before the nations?

7. Just as Ashurbanipal, king of Assyria, had devastated the Egyptian city of Thebes (450 miles south of Cairo) in 639 B.C., so Nineveh would suffer a similar fate (vv.8-11). A nation will reap what it sows!

8. After further declarations of doom in 3:12-17, Nahum’s prophecy ends with a haunting description of dead leaders, scattered peoples (v.18), a fatal wound that nothing can heal, and universal rejoicing over Assyria’s demise (v.19). Incidentally, the devastation of Nineveh was so extensive that no one knew of its whereabouts until its ruins were unearthed by Layard in 1849.

[Next week: Habakkuk 1:1-2:5]

HABAKKUK -- “A Dialogue with God”

[Author: Habakkuk (= “embrace”), nothing known of him except his name. Date: Near the end of Josiah’s godly reign (640-609 B.C.) to the beginning of Jehoiakim’s tragic reign (609-598); in the days of Jeremiah. Audience: Southern kingdom of Judah. Message: A dialogue with God centered around Habakkuk’s complaints and God’s penetrating responses; concludes with a beautiful confession of faith (Chapter 3).]

Habakkuk’s First Complaint and the Lord’s Response (1:2-11)

1. In vv.2-4, Habakkuk raises his first complaint against the Lord: Why does the evil in Judah go unpunished? Can you think of other times in history when a people might have been inclined to raise a similar complaint? Do you sometimes wonder how long God will tolerate America’s declining morals?

2. What is the Lord’s answer to Habakkuk’s complaint in vv.5-11? How does the Lord describe the Babylonian armies in these verses? Though perhaps not as given to mutilation as the Assyrians had been, the Babylonians were ruthless in their conquests: “swifter than leopards, fiercer than wolves....like a vulture swooping to devour” (v.9); “bent on violence....Their horses advance like a desert wind and gather prisoners like sand” (v.10).

Habakkuk’s Second Complaint and the Lord’s Response (1:12-2:5)

3. In 1:12-17, Habakkuk raises a second complaint against the Lord: How can a just God use wicked Babylon to punish a people more righteous than themselves? Habakkuk is pleased to learn that Judah’s wickedness is about to be punished, but he is perplexed to learn that God would use wicked Babylon as his instrument (v.13). What imagery does Habakkuk use in vv.14-17 to describe Babylon’s conquests? Who or what is the god of the Babylonians (vv.11,16)?

4. In 2:1, Habakkuk waits for the Lord’s answer which comes in vv.2-20. (We will save vv.6-20, a series of woes against Babylon, for our next study.) The answer to Habakkuk’s second complaint is already summed up in vv.2-5: Babylon will be punished (vv.2-3), an event that would be fulfilled some 60 years later when Babylon fell to the Persians in 539 B.C.

5. In vv.4-5, a strong contrast is drawn between the arrogance of the Babylonians and the righteous who live by faith (cf. Rom. 1:17; Gal. 3:11; Heb. 10:38). Salvation has always been sola fide--by faith alone!

[Next week: Habakkuk 2:6-3:19]

HABAKKUK -- “A Dialogue with God”

Five Woes Against Babylon (2:6-20)

1. In 2:6-20, the Lord’s response to Habakkuk’s second complaint concludes with a series of woes against wicked Babylon in the form of a taunt. The first woe focuses on Babylon’s lust for conquest and plunder (vv.6-8). How will Babylon be punished?

2. The second woe is against Babylon’s effort to build a secure empire through cruelty (vv.9-11). What will cry out against her (v.11; cf. Gen. 4:10)?

3. The third woe is a cry against the use of slave labor to build cities. Whatever is built by forced labor is destined for the fire (v.13). When God destroys the glory of Babylon, his greater glory will be universally recognized (v.14).

4. The fourth woe is against Babylon’s disgraceful treatment of her neighbors. Her behavior is compared to one who gets a neighbor drunk in order to look upon his nakedness or to strip him of his possessions (v.15). What can Babylon expect in return (v.16)? What kinds of violence seem to be referred to in v.17? Can you think of any contemporary parallels?

5. The final woe is uttered against the greatest of all sins, idolatry. The sheer folly of idol worship is expressed in vv.18-19 (For a classic statement of sarcasm against idolatry, see Isa. 44:9-20). In contrast to impotent idols, Habakkuk realizes that the Lord is about to take action against Babylon; therefore, “let all the earth be silent before him” (v.20).

Habakkuk’s Concluding Psalm of Prayer (3:1-19)

6. Chapter 3 is a prayer of Habakkuk in the form of a psalm and includes a vision of the Lord as a divine warrior, particularly in the events surrounding the Exodus from Egypt (vv.3-15).

7. Habakkuk concludes his prophecy in a state of awe (v.16) mingled with trust (vv.17-18). No matter what calamities may fall upon Judah, Habakkuk writes, “I will rejoice in the Lord” and confi-dently declares, “The Sovereign Lord is my strength” (v.19).

[Next week: Zephaniah 1:1-2:3]

ZEPHANIAH -- “The Day of the Lord”

[Author: Zephaniah (= “The Lord hides”), great-great-grandson of godly King Hezekiah and a resident of Jerusalem. Date: During the reign of Josiah (640-609 B.C.), probably around 625 B.C. (a contemporary of Jeremiah and Habakkuk). Audience: Southern kingdom of Judah. Message: God’s terrifying judgment upon all creation as a punishment for sin; G. A. Smith describes Zephaniah’s prophecy as follows: “No hotter book lies in all the Old Testament. Neither dew nor grass nor tree nor any blossom lives in it, but it is everywhere fire, smoke and darkness, drifting chaff, ruins, nettles, saltpits, and owls and ravens looking from the windows of desolate palaces.”]

The Day of the Lord Announced (1:1-2:3)

1. Based on the information in v.1, scholars suggest that Zephaniah was only in his early 20's when he began to prophesy (NIV Study Bible notes). What do we know about King Josiah (See II Ki. 22-23)?

2. In vv.2-3, Zephaniah warns of a universal judgment that will affect the entire earth, a warning reminiscent of that which preceded the flood in Gen. 6:7.

3. In vv.4-13, God’s wrath is focused more particularly upon Judah and Jerusalem. Why does God’s judgment against his own people receive so much emphasis in the prophetic writings and why is it so severe

(cf. Lk. 10:13-15)?

4. There are three groups of faulty worshipers mentioned in vv.5-6. What was the particular error of each group? Contrasting the second and third groups, J. T. Carson comments: “Compromise can be appealed to, but studied indifference slams the door in God’s face.”

5. In v.7, we find the first of several references to “the day of the Lord” in Zephaniah. Because the Lord is present, silence is called for (cf. Hab. 2:20). Who is the sacrifice in v.7 and who are the invited guests?

6. God’s judgment will affect all levels of society: rulers (v.8); thieves (v.9); merchants (vv.10-11); and the indifferent (v.12). The latter group may think that the Lord will do nothing, but they are in for a rude awakening (v.13).

7. In vv.14-18, we have a frightening description of the great day of the Lord, the day when God will pour out his judgment upon his people.

8. In 2:1-3, a last opportunity for protection from the Lord’s anger is offered to Judah. To the faithful remnant who seek righteousness and humility, Zephaniah offers a ray of hope: “perhaps you will be sheltered....”

[Next week: Zephaniah 2:4-3:20]

ZEPHANIAH -- “The Day of the Lord”

The Day of the Lord Implemented (2:4-3:8)

1. Zephaniah now turns from a prediction of the coming devastation to its specific implementation among the nations. In 2:4-7, Philistia is the first to be condemned. Where are the four cities of v.4 located and in what direction from Jerusalem? What will happen to this land and who will come to occupy it (vv.5-7)?

2. Next in line are the Moabites and Ammonites (vv.8-11). In what direction from Judah were these people located? Where did the Moabites and Ammonites originate (Gen. 19:36-38)?

3. Zephaniah next turns southward to announce God’s judgment upon the Cushites (v.12). Where was the land of Cush?

4. Israel’s most dreaded enemy, the brutal Assyrians, were located in the north (vv.13-15). Although still in power at the time of this writing, Nineveh, her proud capital, would be utterly destroyed in a matter of a few years (612 B.C.; cf. Nahum’s prophecy). What seems to be the common attitude of all of these nations prior to God’s visitation against them (e.g., 2:11, 15)?

5. Jerusalem will also taste the bitterness of God’s wrath (3:1-8). How is her rebellion against the Lord manifested in vv.1-2?

6. In vv.3-4, how does the behavior of the various leaders of Jerusalem contradict the purpose of their offices. How does the Lord’s demeanor contrast with that of these leaders (v.5)? Even God’s own people will persist in their wicked ways (v.7) and therefore will not be spared (v.8). God is about to use Babylon as his rod to punish Jerusalem (586 B.C.).

The Promise of Future Blessing (3:9-20)

7. Zephaniah concludes his prophecy on a positive note (vv.9-20), describing the restoration of Judah to her land. Though this would be partially realized following the decree of Cyrus of Persia allowing the Jews to return from captivity (538 B.C.), its ultimate fulfillment awaits the coming of the Messianic kingdom.

“At that time I will gather you;

at that time I will bring you home.” (v.20)

[Next week: Haggai]

HAGGAI -- “Build the House of God!”

[Author: Haggai (= “festive”), a prophet who returned to Jerusalem from Babylon with the remnant under Zerubbabel; only other mention is in Ezra 5:1-2; 6:14). Date: second year of the reign of Darius, king of Persia = 520 B.C. (a contemporary of Zechariah). Recipients: those Jews who had returned from exile in 538 B.C. to rebuild the temple; after two years, the foundation was completed, but then the work ceased. Message: Haggai exhorts the people to get on with the project after 16 years of doing nothing.]

1. Haggai was a post-exilic prophet. What does that mean? Who was King Darius (v.1) and where does he fit in among the kings of Persia?

2. What had the Jews apparently been doing in place of building the house of God (vv.2-4)? What kinds of interests and activities tend to crowd out our service for the Lord today?

3. In vv.5-11, what were some of the consequences of neglecting the work of the Lord? What are some things that God might want us to be doing today that we are neglecting?

4. What was the result of Haggai’s pleadings, according to vv.12-15? How long did it take from the time of Haggai’s opening charge until the work got underway? What words of encouragement seemed to really get the people moving (v.13)?

5. In 2:1-5, Haggai encouraged the people further. What Jewish festival ends on the 21st day of the 7th month (Oct. 17, 520 B.C.)? What are we to assume about the appearance of this rebuilt temple in comparison to Solomon’s earlier temple (v.3)? What is the danger of living in the past (the ‘good ol’ days’)? What is it that makes a church glorify the Lord, architecture or obedience?

6. In vv.6-9, Haggai continues to encourage the people by declaring that the glory of the rebuilt temple will be greater than the glory of Solomon’s temple. How might this be?

7. What is the point that Haggai is making in vv.10-14? Is he not saying that evil is contagious, but good is not? You can catch a disease, but you can’t catch good health. A bad apple can spoil a whole barrel of apples, but a good apple cannot make a rotten apple better. In other words, the tendency toward evil in a fallen world is universal.

8. In vv.15-19, Haggai once again reminds the people of how God had withheld his blessing from the people because of their disobedience. But from now on things will be different (v.19).

9. Haggai concludes (vv.20-23) with a forward look to Messiah who will come through the lineage of Zerubbabel, the Lord’s signet ring.

[Next week: Zechariah 1-3]

ZECHARIAH -- “Israel’s Comfort and Glory”

[Author: Zechariah (= “the Lord remembers”), a prophet and also a priest, son of Berekiah & grandson of Iddo (See Neh. 12:4,16). For date, recipients, and message, see previous study on Haggai. Outline: Zechariah is the most Messianic of the Minor Prophets and, according to Hailey, is “the most difficult of any of the Old Testament books to interpret.” It has two main parts: Part I centers around eight night visions (1:7-6:8) and Part II contains two prophetic oracles centering around the theme of Messianic deliverance for God’s people (Chs. 9-14).]

1. When did Zechariah begin to prophesy in relation to Haggai’s first prophecy (Haggai 1:1)? There are at least 28 men with the name Zechariah in the Old Testament. How were such people distinguished from each other when they did not have last names as we do today?

Call to Repentance (1:2-6)

2. Why was God angry with his people and how had he punished them (vv.2-6)? As Hailey observes, “The experience of history should be one of the greatest teachers people have, but the teacher has dull students. Each new generation must learn for itself.”

Eight Night Visions and Their Interpretations (1:7-6:8)

3. Vision # 1 — The Rider and Horsemen Among the Myrtle Trees (1:7-17) This is the first of eight visions Zechariah had in a single night (Feb. 15, 519 B.C.). Who was the man riding the red horse (v.8)? Whereas the nations around Judah were enjoying peace (though not with God’s blessing), Judah had been in captivity for 70 years. The question is, “How long will you withhold mercy from your people?” What is the Lord’s response in vv.14-17?

4. Vision # 2 — Four Horns and Four Craftsmen (1:18-21) Who do the four horns represent (vv.18-19)? What does the horn symbolize in the Scriptures (See v.21; Ps. 18:2)? What is the mission of the four craftsmen? If God used the nations to punish his people, why is he angry with them (v.21; cf. v.15)?

5. Vision # 3 — A Man With a Measuring Line (2:1-13) As the city of Jerusalem is measured (vv.1-2), the focus is shifted from the physical to the symbolic. Instead of being protected by walls, what or who will be the protection of this new Jerusalem (vv.3-5)?

6. In vv.6-13, the Lord exhorts his people to flee from Babylon and return to their homeland. Judgment will fall upon the nations that have harmed God’s people (vv.8-9). Why are they called “the apple of his eye” (See Dt. 32:10; Ps. 17:8)? When will the events of vv.10-13 take place?

7. Vision # 4 — Clean Garments for the High Priest (3:1-10) According to v.1, what is Satan’s primary mission? What is the Lord’s response (v.2)? What is meant by the symbolism of removing the priest’s filthy clothes and putting on rich garments and a clean turban (vv.3-5)? Who is the Branch of v.8 and the stone of v.9? What is the meaning of v.10?

[Next week: Zechariah 4-6]

ZECHARIAH -- “Israel’s Comfort and Glory”

Eight Night Visions....continued (4:1-6:8)

1. Vision # 5 — The Lampstand and the Two Olive Trees (4:1-14) The configuration of this lampstand has always been a puzzle to interpreters. If there was “a bowl at the top, and seven lights on [the lampstand]”, where was the seventh light (v.2)? What would be the purpose of the two olive trees (v.3)? When Zechariah inquires about the meaning of the vision, how does the angel respond (vv.4-6)? What is the point of v.6?

2. What is the “mighty mountain” of v.7? How is God going to remove the mountain before Zerubbabel (vv.7-9)? What about the “mountains” in our lives today? What are the “small things” of v.10 (cf. Ezra 3:12; Haggai 2:3)? When God is in it, no work is a “small thing”!

3. In vv.11-14, the meaning of the two olive trees is revealed: “These are the two who are anointed to serve the Lord of all the earth.” This is surely a reference to Zerubbabel and Joshua, the civil and religious leaders whom God will use to carry out his will.

4. Vision # 6 — The Flying Scroll (5:1-4) In this vision, Zechariah sees a huge scroll (20'x15') that is unrolled and flying through the air (vv.1-2). What is written on the two sides of the scroll (v.3)? Which of the Ten Commandments are being violated? What punishment will fall upon those who violate these commandments (v.4)? Sin is an incurable virus that destroys its victims without mercy!

5. Vision # 7 — The Woman in the Basket (5:5-11) Zechariah sees a measuring basket covered with a lid of lead and with a woman inside (vv.5-7). What does the woman represent, according to v.8? I wonder how the feminists would respond to this verse?! Two women with strong wings were summoned to carry the basket far to the east to Babylonia (vv.9-11). What is the point of this seventh vision?

6. Vision # 8 — The Four Chariots (6:1-8) This final vision consisted of four chariots drawn by horses of various colors (vv.1-3). The horses and chariots are sent out to the four corners of the earth to deliver judgment upon the nations (vv.4-7; cf. Rev. 6:1-8). How are we to interpret v.8? [Hint: Where were most of Israel’s enemies located?]

The Symbolic Crowning of the High Priest (6:9-15)

7. In this concluding paragraph, a crown of silver and gold is to be prepared for Joshua, the high priest, a thinly veiled reference to Yeshua (Jesus), the coming Branch (cf. 3:8) and kingly priest who will reign supreme.

[Next week: Zechariah 7-8]

ZECHARIAH -- “Israel’s Comfort and Glory”

A Question About Fasting (7:1-14)

1. The word of the Lord came to Zechariah again in the fourth year of King Darius, nearly two years after he had received his eight night visions (v.1). A question had come from the people of Bethel asking whether they should continue to fast in the 5th month as they had been doing for nearly 70 years (vv.2-3). This fast was in memory of the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 B.C.

2. What was wrong with the fasting of the people, according to the Lord’s response (vv.4-6)? There was only one fast that was required in the Law, that of the Day of Atonement (Lev. 23:27). Instead of keeping fasts that were not commanded, they should have heeded the words of the earlier prophets (v.7). If they had, there would be no need for fasting, for there would have been no destruction!

3. In vv.8-10, Zechariah appeals to the people to do the very things that the earlier prophets had commanded before the exile. What are the two positive and the two negative commands that the Lord gives here?

4. According to vv.11-14, what was Judah’s response to the preaching of the earlier prophets (e.g., Jer. 7:5-7; Micah 6:8)? How did the Lord respond to their stubborn disobedience? Does God ever “plug his ears” to our cries for help (v.13)?

A Promise of Blessing for Jerusalem (8:1-23)

5. This chapter focuses on God’s blessing both in the near and distant future. Ten times Zechariah writes, “This is what the Lord Almighty says.” According to v.2, the Lord is “jealous for Zion....burning with jealousy for her.” Is it ever acceptable for a Christian to be jealous?

6. In the midst of repeated promises of future restoration, we find a moving description of Jerusalem as a city filled with the elderly, each with cane in hand, and of boys and girls playing in the streets (vv.4-5).

7. In vv.9-11, the people are encouraged to continue building the house of God, a task that is nearly half completed by this time. Not only will building conditions improve, but God will bless the productivity of the land (v.12) and will make Israel a blessing among the nations (v.13).

8. Once again in vv.16-17, we find two positive commands followed by two negative commands (cf. 7:9-10). The remainder of the chapter portrays men of all nations coming to Jerusalem to seek the Lord Almighty, “because we have heard that God is with you” (vv.20-23).

[Next week: Zechariah 9-11]

ZECHARIAH -- “Israel’s Comfort and Glory”

[Whereas Zech. 1-8 focused on the need to finish the Temple reconstruction, Chs. 9-14 look into the future and prophesy events both near & distant.]

The Advent and Rejection of the Messiah (9-11)

1. In 9:1-6, Zechariah describes the campaigns of Alexander the Great who at the age of 19 began a conquest of the vast Persian Empire that took him all the way to India. In 332 B.C., he led his armies down the Mediterranean coast taking cities of Syria, Phoenicia, and Philistia. His conquest of the island city of Tyre required a siege of 7 months!

2. In vv.7-8, the Lord promises victory to his people over their idolatrous neighbors and pledges to keep constant watch over them. Who is Israel’s king referred to in v.9 (cf. Mt. 21:1-11)? What will the eventual rule of this king be like in contrast to that of Alexander the Great and what will be the extent of his kingdom (v.10)?

3. In vv.11-17, Zechariah anticipates the return of God’s people from captivity in Assyria and Babylon. God will use Judah as a bow and Israel as an arrow against the oppressive Seleucid forces during the time of the Maccabean revolt in the 2nd century B.C.

4. In 10:1, Zechariah continues to speak of God’s blessing upon his people as already stated in 9:17. It is not Baal, the storm god, who provides the thunder clouds and spring rains, but the Lord Jehovah! It was Israel’s idolatry that was most responsible for her punishment at the hands of Assyria and Babylon (v.2). Who are the “shepherds” referred to in v.3? Who is the “cornerstone” from Judah in v.4?

5. In 10:5-12, Zechariah looks beyond the near future of God’s people to the Messianic age when he will gather the Jews from the distant lands where they have been scattered (vv.8-9). Why do you suppose Egypt and Assyria are singled out for mention in vv.11-12?

6. Whereas Ch. 10 focuses on Israel’s deliverance and restoration to her homeland, Ch. 11 threatens judgment and disaster for both land and people. In vv.1-3, God’s judgment on the land is anticipated, a judgment that would be partially realized with the Roman conquest of Palestine in the latter part of the 1st century A.D.

7. In 11:4-17, Zechariah assumes a dual role. First, he is represented as a good shepherd and thus foreshadows the coming Messiah (vv.4-14). The flock is Israel and is “marked for slaughter’ (vv.4, 7). How will the shepherd deal with his people (vv.6, 9)? How does the flock demonstrate its “appreciation” for the shepherd (v.12)? How does the shepherd respond to their gift (v.13)?

8. In vv.15-17, Zechariah takes the role of a foolish shepherd. Who might this shepherd foreshadow (Rev. 13:1-8)?

[Next week: Zechariah 12-14]

ZECHARIAH -- “Israel’s Comfort and Glory”

The Advent and Reception of the Messiah (12-14)

1. This final section of Zechariah contains a second oracle against Israel’s enemies and the assurance that Messiah will return to establish his kingdom. The expression “in (on) that day” occurs 16 times in these final three chapters. In 12:1-4, how does the Lord promise to help his people against their enemies?

2. In vv.5-9, Zechariah continues to speak of victory for God’s people. What is the secret of Jerusalem’s strength (v.5)? How are Judah’s leaders described in v.6? What is the point of vv.7-9 (cf. I Cor. 1:31)?

3. In vv.10-14, we are reminded once again of the rejection of God by his people. They had rejected him in the person of the Shepherd (11:8-9), and now they “pierce” him in the person of his Son (cf. Jn. 19:37). But the time will come when God’s people will recognize the horrible mistake they have made and there will be a time of universal mourning (cf. Rom. 11:25-27)

4. What day is referred to in 13:1 and what is the “fountain that will be opened to the house of David....to cleanse them from sin and impurity”? What is the connection between this verse and 12:10? According to vv.2-6, idolatry and false prophets will be removed from the land.

5. What is meant by the striking of the shepherd and the scattering of the sheep in v.7 (cf. Mk. 14:27)? Who are the two-thirds who will perish and the one-third who will be left in the land for refining (vv.8-9)?

6. In 14:1-11, Zechariah describes the testing of Jerusalem when all nations will fight against it. This has happened repeatedly in the history of the Jews, but there is always a faithful remnant that will be preserved (v.2). In vv.3-11, the Lord is described as taking extraordinary measures to bring victory to his people, even to the splitting of the Mt. of Olives to allow their escape (v.4)! All of the regions around Jerusalem will be made low and the city of Jerusalem will be lifted up (vv.10-11).

7. According to vv.12-15, what will happen to those who war against the city of Jerusalem? Yet, according to vv.16-19, some of those who were once enemies of Israel will turn to the Lord and will go up to Jerusalem year after year to worship the Lord.

8. The final scene of Zechariah (vv.20-21) anticipates Rev. 11:15:

“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord

and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever.”

[Next week: Malachi 1:1-2:16]

MALACHI -- “Apathy and Disobedience in Judah”

[Author: Malachi (= “my messenger”); nothing known of him except his name. Date: probably written during the period of 445-432 B.C.; the time of Ezra and Nehemiah. Audience: those who had returned from Babylonian captivity. Message: The people were in a state of apathy and indifference, as evidenced by empty worship and broken marriages. God brings charges against his people. They dispute the charges and God responds.]

God’s Covenant Love for Israel (1:2-5)

1. In v.2, we have the first of a number of questions in which the people dispute with God by questioning his charges against them (See also 1:6, 7; 2:17; 3:7, 8, 13).

2. How does the Lord answer their questioning of his love for them in vv.2-3 (cf. Rom 9:10-13)? How will God demonstrate his ‘hatred’ for Esau’s descendants, the Edomites (vv.4-5; cf. Obadiah)?

Israel’s Unfaithfulness Rebuked (1:6-2:16)

3. In vv.6-14, who is the target of Gods rebuke? How do those who are rebuked respond to the charges against them (vv.6b-7)? What exactly was wrong with their sacrifices according to vv.8-9?

4. In vv.10-14, what is the point that the Lord is making? How does the teaching of these verses apply to our worship today? Do we ever consider worship a burden (v.13) or withhold the best of our energies or possessions for ourselves (v.14)?

5. In 2:1-4, the Lord delivers two threats against the priests for their unacceptable behavior. What are the threats and is there any hint that these threats could be averted (v.2)?

6. What were the functions of the ideal priest according to vv.5-7? But what was the actual behavior of the priests in Malachi’s time (vv.8-9)?

7. In vv.10-16, the Lord charges the entire population of Judah with two specific sins. What is their first sin (vv.10-12; cf. Ex. 34:16)? The practice of marrying pagan wives was a serious problem at this time, as evidenced in Ezra 9:1-2 and Neh. 13:23-29.

8. What is the second sin of the people (vv.13-16)? How does their divorce of their Hebrew wives affect their worship? What a tragedy divorce has become in the Christian church today! The closing words of both v.15 and v.16 ought to be the watchword of the contemporary church:

“So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith

with the wife of your youth.”

[Next week: Malachi 2:17-4:6]

MALACHI -- “Apathy and Disobedience in Judah”

The Lord’s Coming Announced (2:17-4:6)

1. How had the people of Judah “wearied” the Lord according to 2:17? As the Lord looks at the church today, what do you suppose are some of the things that weary him the most?

2. The word “messenger” occurs twice in 3:1. Who does the Lord have in mind as “my messenger”? Who is “the messenger of the covenant”? How might we use this verse to support the deity of Christ?

3. In vv.2-5, there is a further reference to “the day of his coming.” What day is this referring to? What principal activity of the Lord at his coming is emphasized in these verses? What are the two by-products of the refining process? How does v.3 relate to 1:6-2:16?

4. What two attributes of God do we find in vv.6-7 (cf. James 1:17; 4:8)? Contrast the future of Judah with that of Edom (v.6; 1:3-5).

5. In vv.8-12, the Lord charges Judah with robbing him. How had they robbed him and what must they do to remove God’s curse from their land? What is the underlying principle of tithing? Does tithing guarantee material prosperity (v.10)? Some use this verse to support “storehouse tithing.” What does that mean and do you agree with it?

6. In v.13, the Lord accuses the people of speaking “harsh things” against him. What was the essence of their complaints according to vv.14-15? Does God owe us anything for our service (cf. Lk. 17:10)?

7. In vv.16-18, we are reminded that God always has a faithful remnant among his people. He is keeping a “scroll of remembrance” which lies open before him as a reminder of his faithful followers, his “treasured possession” (v.17). Is there a clear distinction between our lives and the lives of the unsaved around us (v.18)?

8. The Book of Malachi (and the entire Old Testament) concludes with a description of the ultimate, complete destruction of the wicked (v.1) and the triumph of the righteous (vv.2-3), followed by an exhortation (v.4), a promise (vv.5-6a), and a threat (v.6b). After these words, the heavens were silent for 400 years until the voice of John the Baptist was heard crying in the wilderness of Judea, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”

9. Malachi ends with a curse. Charles Feinberg makes the following point: “The book of Genesis shows how the curse entered the human race, and Malachi indicates the curse still threatens. The book of Matthew begins with the Son of David....who came to be made a curse for us by hanging on a tree....that we might have blessing, joy, and eternal life through faith in His name. Only through Messiah Jesus the Lord can Israel [or anyone else] escape the awful curse.”

A REVIEW OF THE TWELVE MINOR PROPHETS

[The twelve Minor Prophets comprise only about 6% of the Old Testament. Nine of them relate to the time of the Divided Kingdom and the last three to the period after Judah’s return from exile. Hosea and Amos are addressed to Israel, Obadiah to Edom, Nahum to Nineveh, Jonah to the prophet himself, and the other seven to Judah and Jerusalem. Hosea and Zechariah are the longest, each with 14 chapters, and Obadiah is the shortest with a mere 21verses.]

Hosea “God’s Boundless Love & Faithfulness”

11:1-9 -- “all my compassion is aroused” (8)

Joel “The Day of the Lord”

2:1-11 -- “The day of the Lord is great; it is dreadful” (11)

Amos “Let Justice Roll Down”

5:18-24 -- “But let justice roll on like a river” (24)

Obadiah “God’s Judgment Upon Edom”

vv.2-4 -- “I will make you small among the nations” (2)

Jonah “Lessons From A Runaway Prophet”

3:10-4:2 -- “Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry” (1)

Micah “A Message of Triumph in the Midst of Doom”

6:8 -- “act justly...love mercy...and walk humbly with your God”

Nahum “Woe to Nineveh!”

3:5-7 -- “Nineveh is in ruins—who will mourn for her?” (7)

Habakkuk “A Dialogue With God”

3:17-19 -- “though the olive crop fails...yet I will rejoice”

Zephaniah “The Day of the Lord”

2:3 -- “Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land”

Haggai “Build the House of God!”

1:7-8 -- “build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it” (8)

Zechariah “Israel’s Comfort and Glory”

9:9 -- “your king comes to you...riding on a donkey”

Malachi “Apathy and Disobedience in Judah”

2:17-3:1 -- “‘How have we wearied him?’, you ask”

MINOR PROPHETS

A Discussion Guide

Prepared by Arlan Birkey