Notes on Five Minor Prophets[1]
7. Nahum
a.
Context of Nahum's ministry
i.
No clear indication of the exact timeframe of Nahum's
ministry but we do have clear boundaries
1. Fall of
Thebes mentioned in 3.8 occurred in 663 BC
2. Fall of
Nineveh to the Medes, which is the main subject of this book, occurred in 612
BC
ii.
A couple of common sense observations about the likely
time period of Nahum's oracles
1. History
demonstrates that the Assyrians had overextended themselves militarily by
around 620 BC and began to decline
2. The
height of Nineveh would have been before this time, making the years between
650-620 BC a reasonable time period for Nahum's ministry
b. Nahum
the prophet
i.
Nahum's name means 'comforted by Yahweh'
1. Appropriate
for one bringing comfort and present hope to Judah
2. Ironic,
at best, from Nineveh's perspective
ii.
Nothing is known of the prophet except that he was from
Elkosh, probably in Judah
c.
The message of the book
i.
Primary focus of Nahum is God's coming judgment on
Nineveh
1. Clearly
her repentance seen by Jonah was short-lived as there were approximately 150
years between Jonah and Nahum
2. Nineveh
is directly addressed by Nahum (speaking to the city as 'you')
a.
There is no evidence that Nahum ever visited Nineveh like
Jonah
b. The
primary audience is actually Judah (cf. 1.15), to whom Nahum brings a word of
comfort, consistent with his name
ii.
The key verses of Nahum of 1.2-3a and 1.7, which together
present the justice and mercy of God
1. The
whole of chapter 1 goes back and forth between these two attributes of God
2. To the
wicked, God is to be feared as the one whose wrath will not be abated or
neglected
3. To the
contrite, God is a refuge of goodness and grace
4. Here is
the 'Gospel According to Nahum' and the enduring theological application for
our lives
a.
Comfort (warning) that God will not let injustice /sin to
prosper always (cf. Ps 7, 10, 42-43 et al)
b. Assurance
that none of those turning to God for mercy will be cast out (cf. Ps 11, 16,
18, et al)
iii.
An aside on the graphic vengeance of God portrayed in
Nahum
1. Many
have objected to the vision of God shown in Nahum, which is unprecedented in
all of Scripture in its brutality and graphic, offensive fury
2. What
are we to say to such critiques?
a.
The role of God in this prophecy is not to defile an
innocent maiden (Nineveh) but to expose shamefully the one who has already
played the whore (3.1-4)
b. Nineveh
is charged here with unimaginable wickedness, expressed in a panoply of crimes,
sins, and atrocities...this description is confirmed even by the Assyrian's own
internal records
c.
Like modern preachers, prophets often resorted to
hyperbole and vivid imagery to make a point, sometimes trying to intentionally
shock their hearers
d. The
essence of Nahum's theology is captured in 1.2-3, 7...the two 'sides' of God's
love must be kept in check with God's actions toward Nineveh a response to her
heinous sins
8. Zephaniah
a.
The context of Zephaniah’s ministry
i.
The book’s introduction places Zephaniah’s ministry
precisely, during the reign of Josiah (639-609 B.C)
ii.
Reminders about Josiah (cf. 2 Ki 22-23 and 2 Ch 34-35)
1. The
last good king in Judah and the best (2 Ki 23.25)
2. Began a
sweeping series of religious reforms to turn the people back to God
a.
Restored temple worship
b. Removed
Asherah from the temple, defiled Topheth, smashed pagan altars
c.
Restored Passover celebration
3. Died
prematurely while intervening against Egypt, who was on the way to meet the
Assyrians (2 Ki 23.28-30; 2 Ch 35.20-25)
iii.
After Josiah’s death, reform stopped as the people had
never recovered fully from the apostasy of Manasseh, for which the Lord has
promised judgment (2 Ki 23.26-27)
b. Zephaniah
the prophet
i.
Zephaniah’s genealogy means he was closely related to
King Josiah and perhaps also Isaiah
ii.
Zephaniah means ‘Yahweh has hidden / stored up,’ but
finding a connection between this literal meaning and his historical context or
the content of his oracles is difficult
iii.
Apart from the lengthy genealogy in 1.1, we know nothing
of the prophet
c.
The message of the book
i.
The book divides easily into three parts
ii.
The first part—prophecy against Judah (1.2-18)
1. Zephaniah
predicts the destruction of nearly everything in the land
2. He
picks up on (from Amos) and described the coming ‘day of the Lord’ as a great
day of judgment and devastation
3. As we
shall see, Zephaniah’s description of the ‘day of the Lord’ is especially
influential on Ezekiel’s proclamations a generation later
iii.
The second part—prophecy against the nations around
Israel (chapter 2)
1. The
Philistines, Moabites, and Ammonites are judged for taunting Israel
2. Reinforcing
Nahum’s oracles, Assyria’s (Nineveh) destruction is again sentenced to
destruction for her arrogance and self-reliance (2.15)
iv.
The third part—judgment and hope (chapter 3)
1. Judgment
is again meted out against Jerusalem and the surrounding nations (3.1-8),
summarizing the content of the first two chapters
2. Hope is
proclaimed / promised in a glorious vision of restoration, peace, and salvation
(3.9-20)
3. Though
seemingly contradictory, judgment and redemption are tied closely together
a.
Israel would have a shadowy glimpse of this paradox in
God’s sacrificial system
b. Only at
the cross do judgment and redemption (for humanity and the cosmos) come
crashing together, though still in a way that is beyond our ability to fully
grasp
9. Habakkuk
a.
The context of Habakkuk’s ministry
i.
Unlike Zephaniah, Habakkuk gives no clear date for his
ministry
ii.
Like Nahum, several important clues allow us to determine
a range of dates with remarkable certainty
1. God’s
reference to the Chaldeans (1.6) means that Judah’s invasion by Babylon is
still a future event, making 605 B.C. the latest possible date
2. Habakkuk’s
knowledge of Babylonian ferocity toward their enemies suggests first-hand
knowledge with them as a significant military-political force, making their
defeat of the Assyrians in 612 B.C the earliest probable date for his ministry
b. Habakkuk
the prophet
i.
Neither the prophet’s name (meaning ‘embraced by Yahweh’)
nor any contextual information from the book gives us any glimpse into
Habakkuk’s character, genealogy, or identity
ii.
Though many efforts have been made to identify him with
other characters mentioned in Scripture[2],
all are speculative and unproductive
c.
The message of the book
i.
This book divides naturally into two parts (chapters 1-2
and chapter 3)
ii.
The first section records a dialogue between Habakkuk and
God
1. Habakkuk
complains against God for allowing Judah’s wickedness to continue unchecked
(1.2-4)
2. God
responds with a promise of judgment at the hands of the Chaldeans / Babylonians
(1.5-11)
3. Seeing
God’s instrument of judgment as a bigger problem (i.e., worse sinners than
Judah), Habakkuk then complains against God for using a more wicked nation to
judge a less wicked one (1.12-2.1)
4. God
responds by foretelling of the later judgment against the Babylonians,
reinforcing the paradoxical truth (cf. Is 10) that being God’s agent of
judgment does not alleviate one from moral responsibility
iii.
The second section contains Habakkuk’s response to God’s
revelation, including:
1. Habakkuk’s
plea for God’s merciful intervention in human affairs
2. A
description of God’s sovereign involvement to deliver his people and land
3. Habakkuk’s
worshipful response in the face of apparent destruction
iv.
This book has great value for its timeless lessons:
1. Habakkuk
affirms God’s interest in the fate of his people, even in the face of his
apparent silence concerning prevalent wickedness and sin
2. Here God
responds to the honest, sincere doubts of the faithful. Bewilderment with earthly experience is to
be expected. Here God responds to
Habakkuk’s frank confession of confusion / disenchantment / disillusionment
with an explanation of events to come.[3]
10. Obadiah
a.
The context of Obadiah’s ministry
i.
Like Joel (below), Obadiah’s ministry is difficult, if
not impossible, to place accurately due to the lack of historical information
and the vagueness of the book itself
ii.
Two views, both acceptable within conservative circles:
1. Obadiah
prophesied during the eighth century B.C.
a.
Views his ministry as a response to an Edomite attack on
Judah during the reign of Ahaz (cf. 2 Ch 28.17)
b. This
view makes Obadiah a contemporary of Jonah, Hosea, and Amos
2. Obadiah
prophesied after the fall of Jerusalem
a.
Understands vv. 10-14 to refer to the destruction of
Jerusalem by Babylon in 586 B.C., an event in which Edom is known to have
participated (Ps 137)
b. This
view makes Obadiah a contemporary of Ezekiel and Daniel
b. Obadiah
the prophet
i.
Obadiah’s name means ‘servant of Yahweh’ and is a common
OT name
ii.
Apart from his nationality (Judean) and his claims of
divine inspiration, we know nothing of his character or genealogy
c.
The message of the book
i.
The central messages of Obadiah are unmistakable
1. The
impending judgment of Edom
a.
Edomite conflict with their Israelite relatives goes back
to Jacob and Esau
b. Edom
later refused passage to Israel coming from Egypt
c.
And so on and so on…
2. The
proclamation of Israel’s ultimate salvation
a.
Here the ‘day of the Lord’ is seen both negatively and
positively
b. Negatively,
as a day of judgment
c.
Positively, as a day of salvation and deliverance
ii.
Enduring lessons from Obadiah:
1. God
judges humanity for non-involvement in injustice, sin, and struggles
2. God
judges those who take joy in others’ troubles
3. God
rebukes national pride and self-sufficiency
4. There
are no such things as fate, chance, or luck.
God is sovereign over all things.
11. Joel
a.
The context of Joel’s ministry
i.
For the same reasons we find in Obadiah, dating Joel’s
ministry with any level of precision is difficult
1. Suggested
dates range from the ninth century B.C. to the fifth century B.C., making him
one of the earliest or latest writing prophets
2. Several
indicators only allow us to narrow Joel’s ministry to either before Jerusalem’s
fall or after its reconstruction (i.e., eliminating him as a prophet
ministering during the exile)
a.
Jerusalem had intact walls (2.7-9) that had either not
been destroyed or had already been rebuilt
b. Worship
was centered at the temple (2.7-9), either before its destruction or after its
restoration
3. While
the date of this book is certainly no test of orthodoxy, Joel 3.2-3 seems to
presuppose the fall of Jerusalem, suggesting an early post-exilic date, perhaps
in the time of Nehemiah
b. Joel
the prophet
i.
Joel (meaning ‘Yahweh is God’) is a common OT name,
telling us more perhaps about the faith of his father (Pethuel) and unnamed
mother than anything
ii.
No other genealogical or biographical information about
Joel is given
c.
The message of the book
i.
Most of Joel’s oracles center around the ‘day of the
Lord’
1. Many
other prophets refer to this day as one of God’s great intervention in human
affairs (cf. Amos, Isaiah, Zephaniah, Obadiah, Ezekiel, and Zechariah)
2. While
Amos depicts this day solely as one of judgment, Joel gives a fuller, more
balanced description as a day of both judgment and salvation
ii.
The ‘day of the Lord’ as judgment
1. In
complete agreement with Amos and others, the first half of Joel 1.2-2.17)
depicts the ‘day of the Lord’ as one of devastating judgment
2. Joel’s
description of judgment as an invasion of locusts would be a graphic,
completely understandable illustration for his audience
3. God’s
judgment would be complete, catastrophic, and unmistakable
iii.
The ‘day of the Lord’ as salvation
1. The
second half of Joel (2.18-3.21) describes this day in completely different
terms, as a day of salvation, redemption, and consummation
2. Chapter
3 is a fascinating ‘divine warrior hymn’ describing the judgment of the nations
and final restoration of Zion, but 2.18-32 is especially interesting to
Christians
a.
Joel describes the outpouring of the Spirit on ‘all
flesh’ (that is all Israel, not all humankind), with the implication that the
spiritual and ethnic boundaries of Israel will finally be equal
i.
That Joel limits ‘all flesh’ to Israel is apparent from
the context
ii.
In his Pentecost sermon (Acts 2), Peter describes this
prophecy as fulfilled!
b. Notes
on ‘pouring’ out of the Spirit
i.
Variations of a ‘pouring’ of the Spirit occur in only
four places in the OT (Is 44.1-4; Ezek 39.29; Joel 2.28; and Zech 12.10)
1. Each
reference occurs within a salvation oracle, specifically in the context of the
restoration of God’s covenant with Israel
2. The
pouring of the Spirit is God’s act of sealing and restoring the nation as his
own
ii.
More importantly for us, these four instances are matched
with four instances in the book of Acts whereby the salvific work of God
expands into the Christian mission
1. Acts
2.3, 33, 38 – Jews in Jerusalem
a.
Joel’s prophecy fulfilled
b. Israel
‘redefined’ as those believing in Christ, at this point mostly ethnic Jews
2. Acts
8.14-17 – Samaritans in Palestine
3. Acts
10.44-48 – Gentile ‘God-fearers’ in Palestine
4. Acts
19.6 – Ephesian Gentiles in Asia Minor (Turkey)
iii. Here
the covenant community and ‘covenant triangle’ have expanded and been
redefined:
1. 
Previously
in the OT:
2. 
As
expanded in the NT after Pentecost: