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The Prophetic Insights of Malachi: Love and Accountability

Malachi 1:2(NKJV) “I have loved you,” says the LORD. “Yet you say, ‘In what way have You loved us?’
Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” Says the LORD. “Yet Jacob I have loved;”

Author

  • Malachi
  • Malachi means “My Messenger”

Date

  • Approximately 450 B.C.
  • During or right after the time of Nehemiah

Theme

  • Reassurance of God’s love and justice

Purpose

  • Malachi’s prophesies addressed issues concerning the spiritual decline of the
    people. Such issues include: the sacrifices, divorce, and tithes and offerings.

Content

  • God’s love for Israel: Malachi 1:1-5
    • Malachi 1:2(NKJV) “I have loved you,” says the LORD. “Yet you say, ‘In what way have You loved us?’ Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” Says the LORD. “Yet Jacob I have loved;
  • Disrespect toward God: Malachi 1:6-14
    Malachi 1:6(NKJV) “A son honors his father, And a servant his master. If then I am the Father, Where is My honor? And if I am a Master, Where is My reverence? Says the LORD of hosts To you priests who despise My name. Yet you say, ‘In what way have we despised Your name?’
  • The Lord’s rebuke: Malachi 2:1-16
    • Malachi 2:1-2 And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you. If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the Lord of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart.
    • Divorce:
      • Malachi 2:14-16  Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the Lord hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant. And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.
  • God’s requirements: Malachi 2:17-3:15
    • Malachi 3:10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
  • The future of the righteous and the wicked: 3:16-4:6
    • Malachi 4:1-3 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts.

Christ in the Book of Malachi

  • The Coming Messiah
    • Malachi 3:1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.
    • Malachi 4:2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

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The Significance of Zechariah in Biblical Prophecy

Zechariah 1:17(NKJV) “Again proclaim, saying, Thus says the LORD of hosts: “My cities shall again spread
out through prosperity, The LORD will again comfort Zion And will again choose Jerusalem.

Author

  • Zechariah
  • Zechariah means “The Lord Remembers”

Date

  • 520-475 B.C.
  • During and after the ministry of Haggai.

Theme

  • The Lord remembers Zion

Purpose

  • Zechariah prophesied during the time of Haggai, encouraging the Israelites to continue and complete the work of the temple.
  • He later prophesied concerning the assurance of restoration for the people of Israel.
  • Zechariah spoke of the ultimate glorification of Israel being fulfilled through the coming the promised Messiah, Jesus.

Content

  • The call to repentance and obedience: Zechariah 1:1-6
    • Zechariah 1:3,4 (NKJV) Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Return to Me,” says the LORD of hosts, “and I will return to you,” says the LORD of hosts. “Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets preached, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Turn now from your evil ways and your evil deeds.” But they did not hear nor heed Me,” says the LORD.
  • Nine visions of assurance: Zechariah 1:7-6:15
VisionMeaningReference
Angel and HorsemanIsrael restored in prosperityZechariah 1:7-17
Horns and CraftsmenIsrael’s oppressors will be punishedZechariah 1:18-21
The Man and Measuring LineGod will be among His peopleZechariah 2:1-13
High PriestThe removal of sinsZechariah 3:1-10
Lampstand and the olive treesCompletion of the templeZechariah 4:1-14
Flying ScrollWickedness will be punishedZechariah 5:1-4
Woman in a BasketWicked nations brought to their kneesZechariah 5:5-11
Four ChariotsRest and RestorationZechariah 6:1-10
The Symbolic CrownsEternal KingdomZechariah 6:11-15
  • Obedience versus legalism: Zechariah 7:1-8:23
    • Zechariah 7:5-7(NKJV)” Say to all the people of the land, and to the priests: When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months during those seventy years, did you really fast for Me-for Me? When you eat and when you drink, do you not eat and drink for yourselves? Should you not have obeyed the words which the LORD proclaimed through the former prophets when Jerusalem and the cities around it were inhabited and prosperous, and the South and the Lowland were inhabited?
  • Judgment on Israel’s enemies: Zechariah 9:1-8
  • The coming King: Zechariah 9:9-14:21
    • Zechariah 9:9,10(NKJV) “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey. I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim And the horse from Jerusalem; The battle bow shall be cut off. He shall speak peace to the nations; His dominion shall be from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of the earth.”

Christ in the Book of Zechariah

  • The coming King
    • Zechariah 9:9,10(NKJV) “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey. I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim And the horse from Jerusalem; The battle bow shall be cut off. He shall speak peace to the nations; His dominion shall be ‘from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of the earth.’
    • Zechariah 6:12-13 (amp) Then say to Joshua, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Behold (look, keep in sight, watch), a Man (Messiah) whose name is Branch, for He shall branch out from His place (Israel, the Davidic line); and He shall build the [ultimate] temple of the Lord. 13 Yes, [you are to build a temple of the Lord, but] it is He who shall build the [ultimate] temple of the Lord, and He shall bear the honor and majesty [as the only begotten of the Father] and sit and rule on His throne. And He shall be a Priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between the two offices [Priest and King].”’ 
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Rebuilding the Temple: Haggai’s Call to Action

Haggai 1:4(NKJV) “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?”
Haggai 1:8(NKJV) Go up to the mountains and bring wood and build the temple, that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified,” says the LORD.

Author

  • Haggai
  • Haggai means “Festive”

Date

  • 520 B.C.

Theme

  • Rebuilding the temple

Purpose

  • Haggai was among the first prophets to minister to the Israelites returning from Babylonian captivity.
  • In 539 B.C. they begin rebuilding the temple under the leadership of Ezra. They were delayed for eighteen years by opposition from the north.
  • In 521 B.C. after receiving a decree from Darius king of Persia they continued the work and dedicated the temple in 515 B.C.
  • Haggai urged the people to continue the work of the temple. It was believed that Haggai was old enough to remember the former temple before it was destroyed by the Babylonians.
    • Ezra 6:14 And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they builded, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.
  • Haggai had to address the three D’s
    • Disinterested
      • Haggai 1:2(NKJV)Thus speaks the LORD of hosts, saying: This people says, “The time has not come, the time that the LORD’S house should be built.”
    • Discouraged
      • Haggai 2:3(NKJV) ‘Who is left among you who saw this temple in its former glory? And how do you see it now? In comparison with it, is this not in your eyes as nothing?
    • Dissatisfaction
      • Haggai 2:19(NKJV) Is the seed still in the barn? As yet the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yielded fruit. But from this day I will bless you.”
        • They were seeking an immediate turn around

Content

  • The call to rebuild the temple: Haggai 1:1-15
    • Haggai 1:4(NKJV) “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?”
    • Haggai 1:8(NKJV) Go up to the mountains and bring wood and build the temple, that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified,” says the LORD.
  • Hopes and expectation for the new temple: Haggai 2:1-9
    • Haggai 2:9(NKJV) The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,’ says the LORD of hosts. ‘And in this place I will give peace,’ says the LORD of hosts.”
  • God’s promised blessings: Haggai 2:10-19
    • Haggai 2:19(NKJV) Is the seed still in the barn? As yet the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yielded fruit. But from this day I will bless you.””
  • God’s final triumph: Haggai 2:21-23
    • Haggai 2:21-23(NKJV)”Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying: ‘I will shake heaven and earth. I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms; I will destroy the strength of the Gentile kingdoms. I will overthrow the chariots And those who ride in them; The horses and their riders shall come down, Every one by the sword of his brother. In that day,’ says the LORD of hosts, ‘I will take you, Zerubbabel My servant, the son of Shealtiel (She-al-ti-el),’ says the LORD, ‘and will make you like a signet ring; for I have chosen you,’ says the LORD of hosts.”

Christ in the Book of Haggai

  • Christ and the work of the cross as the fulfillment of the latter glory filling the temple of God
    •  John 2:19-21 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body.
    • 1 Corinthians 6:19,20(NKJV) Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

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Understanding Zephaniah’s Prophecies and Themes

Zephaniah (NKJV) Seek the LORD, all you meek of the earth, Who have upheld His justice. Seek
righteousness, seek humility. It may be that you will be hidden in the day of the
LORD’S anger.

Author:

  • Zephaniah
  • Zephaniah means that the Lord has Hidden

Date:

  • 630 BC
  • Zephaniah prophesied during the reign of Josiah, the young king of Judah.
  • Other Prophets during this time include Jeremiah and Nahum.
  • Zephaniah was the last prophet before Judah went into captivity.

Theme:

  • The wrath and judgement of a loving God toward the nations and the restoration of a remnant.

Purpose:

  • During this time, Judah had been paying tribute to Assyria, which opened the doors for increasing pagan worship. Zephaniah prophesied against the complacency of the people of Judah.
  • He painted the darkest picture of God’s judgment and the brightest picture of God’s restoration.

Content:

  • God’s judgement announced: Zephaniah 1:1-2:3
    • Zephaniah 1:2-4 I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the Lord. I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumbling blocks with the wicked: and I will cut off man from off the land, saith the Lord. I will also stretch out mine hand upon Judah, and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, and the name of the Chemarims with the priests;
  • Judgment against the nations: Zephaniah 2:4-15
    • Here there is a list of judgments against the nations
  • The future of Jerusalem 3:1-20
    • Zephaniah 3:13(NKJV) The remnant of Israel shall do no unrighteousness And speak no lies, Nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth; For they shall feed their flocks and lie down, And no one shall make them afraid.”
    • Zephaniah 3:17(NKJV) The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”

Christ in the Book of Zephaniah

  • Hidden in Christ
    • Zephaniah means “The Lord has Hidden”
    • Colossians 3:1-3(NKJV)If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
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The Just Shall Live by Faith: Lessons from Habakkuk

Habakkuk 3:2(NKJV) O LORD, I have heard Your speech and was afraid; O LORD, revive Your work in the
midst of the years! In the midst of the years make it known; In wrath remember mercy.

Author

  • Habakkuk
  • Habakkuk means Embracer
  • It is thought that Habakkuk may have been a leader of temple worship as a member of the Levitical family.
    • Habakkuk 3:19(NKJV) The LORD God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills. To the Chief Musician. With my stringed instruments.

Date

  • 600 B.C.
  • It is believed that the book of Habakkuk was written during the time period between the fall of Nineveh (612 B.C.) and the fall of Jerusalem (586 B.C.).

Theme

  • The just shall live by faith
  • Habakkuk 2:4(NKJV) Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith.

Purpose

  • Habakkuk is a dialogue between himself and God. He struggled with all of the injustices he saw within his nation.
  • His question to God was “why would God allow those who were oppressing the poor to prosper”?
  • God spoke of bringing justice and judgment through Babylonia captivity.
  • This troubled the prophet even more. Why would God bring a heathen nation against the people of Judah?
  • God assured him that the just must live a life of faith and the ultimate goal was the spiritual well-being of His people.
  • To show that when done appropriately, it is okay to question God.

Content

  • Habakkuk’s question and God’s answer: Habakkuk 1:1-11
    • Habakkuk’s question:
      • Habakkuk 1:2-4(NKJV) O LORD, how long shall I cry, And You will not hear? Even cry out to You, “Violence!” And You will not save. Why do You show me iniquity, And cause me to see trouble? For plundering and violence are before me; There is strife, and contention arises. Therefore, the law is powerless, And justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; Therefore, perverse judgment proceeds.
    • God’s Answer:
      • Habakkuk 1:5,6(NKJV) “Look among the nations and watch-Be utterly astounded! For I will work a work in your days which you would not believe, though it were told you. For indeed I am raising up the Chaldeans, A bitter and hasty nation Which marches through the breadth of the earth, To possess dwelling places that are not theirs.
        • Note: the Chaldeans are the Babylonians
  • Habakkuk’s second question and God’s answer: Habakkuk 1:12-2:20
    • Habakkuk’s question:
      • Habakkuk 1:12(NKJV) Are You not from everlasting, O LORD my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O LORD, You have appointed them for judgment; O Rock, You have marked them for correction.
      • God’s answer:
        • Habakkuk 2:2-4(NKJV) Then the LORD answered me and said: “Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry. Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith.
        • Habakkuk 2:14(NKJV) For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, As the waters cover the sea.
  • Habakkuk’s prayer: Habakkuk 3:1-19
    • Habakkuk 3:2(NKJV) O LORD, I have heard Your speech and was afraid; O LORD, revive Your work in the midst of the years! In the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy.
    • Habakkuk 3:17-19(NKJV) Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls- Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills. To the Chief Musician. With my stringed instruments.

Christ in the Book of Habakkuk

  • Victory (Ultimate victory through Jesus)
    • Romans 1:16,17(NKJV) For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The
      just shall live by faith.”
    • 1 Corinthians 15:57-58(NKJV) But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

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Understanding Nahum: God’s Judgment on Nineveh

Nahum 1:7-9(NKJV) The LORD is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him. But with an overflowing flood He will make an utter end of its place, And darkness will pursue His enemies. What do you conspire against the LORD? He will make an utter end of it. Affliction will not rise up a second time.

Author

  • Nahum
  • Nahum means “Comfort, Full of Comfort, Consolation”

Date

  • 612 B.C.
  • During the reigns of Manasseh, Amon, and Josiah (Kings of Judah)
  • Other prophets at this time: Zephaniah, Habakkuk, and Jeremiah
  • Approximately 120 years after Jonah’s ministry to Nineveh

Theme

  • God’s judgment on the city of Nineveh, the capital of Assyria

Purpose

  • This book reveals God’s judgment on the tyrant city of Nineveh the capital of Assyria.
  • The Assyrians captured the Northern kingdom of Israel in 722 B.C.
  • They threaten Judah, the southern kingdom, but God intervened.
  • The Assyrians were know for their abuse and acts of torture inflicted on their captives. At this time the Assyrians were known as the world’s greatest oppressor.
  • This book was also a message of comfort and hope for God’s people of the southern kingdom of Judah.

Content

  • The vengeance of the Lord Nahum 1:1-15
    • Nahum 1:2,3(NKJV) God is jealous, and the LORD avenges: The LORD avenges and is furious.
      The LORD will take vengeance on His adversaries, And He reserves wrath for His
      enemies; The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, And will not at all acquit the wicked. The LORD has His way In the whirlwind and in the storm, And the clouds are the dust of His feet.
  • The fall of Nineveh and Restoration of Jacob: Nahum 2:1-13
    • Nahum 2:8-10(NKJV) Though Nineveh of old was like a pool of water, Now they flee away. “Halt! Halt!” they cry; But no one turns back. Take spoil of silver! Take spoil of gold! There is no end of treasure, Or wealth of every desirable prize. She is empty, desolate, and waste! The heart melts, and the knees shake; Much pain is in every side, And all their faces are drained of color.
    • Nahum 2:2(NKJV) For the LORD will restore the excellence of Jacob Like the excellence of Israel, For the emptiers have emptied them out And ruined their vine branches.
  • The despair of Nineveh: Nahum 3:1-19
    • Nahum 3:7(NKJV)It shall come to pass that all who look upon you Will flee from you, and say, “Nineveh is laid waste! Who will bemoan her? Where shall I seek comforters for you?”
    • This prophecy came to pass about 50 years after it was written.

Christ in the Book of Nahum

  • Type of Christ on the cross
    • God’s vengeance against sin was satisfied through the sacrifice of the Lamb of God, His son Jesus.
      • Romans 12:19(NKJV) Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.
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Micah: A Call to Justice, Mercy, and Humility

Micah 6:8(NKJV) He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly. To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?


Author

  • Micah
  • Micah means “He who is like Yahweh”

Date

  • 704-696 B.C.

Theme

  • The greatness of God’s compassion
    • Micah 7:18(NKJV) Who is a God like You, Pardoning iniquity And passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He
      delights in mercy.

Purpose

  • Micah prophesied to both the northern and southern kingdoms; Jerusalem the capital of the southern kingdom Judah and Samaria the capital of the northern kingdom Israel.
  • He was popular among the common people of the land.
  • Ever since the divided kingdom began, Samaria negatively influenced Judah by setting up many high places of worship.
  • Micah prophesied of God impending judgment because of false worship. He was a contemporary of Isaiah and Hosea.

Content

  • Judgment against Samaria and Jerusalem: Micah 1:1-16
    • Micah 1:2,3(NKJV) Hear, all you peoples! Listen, O earth, and all that is in it! Let the Lord GOD be a witness against you, The Lord from His holy temple. For behold, the LORD is coming out of His place; He will come down And tread on the high places of the earth.
  • Leadership guilty of oppression: Micah 2:1-3:12
    • Micah 3:1(NKJV) And I said: “Hear now, O heads of Jacob, And you rulers of the house of Israel: Is it not for you to know justice?
  • Divine restoration: Micah 4:1-5:15
    • Micah 4:1-2 But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
  • Judgment and mercy: Micah 6:1-7:20
    • Micah 7:19-20 He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.

Christ in the Book of Micah

  • King Jesus
    • Micah 2:13(NKJV) The one who breaks open will come up before them; They will break out,
      Pass through the gate, And go out by it; Their king will pass before them, With the LORD at their head.”
    • Micah 5:2(NKJV) But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth
      are from of old, From everlasting.”
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God’s Mercy in Jonah: Lessons from Nineveh

Jonah 4:11 And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?

Author

  • Jonah

Date

  • 760 BC

Theme

  • God’s compassion on an ungodly nation.

Content

  • Jonah flees from the Lord: Jonah 1:1-17
    • Jonah 1:1-3 Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.
    • Jonah 1:17 Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
  • Jonah’s Prayer and Deliverance: Jonah 2:1-10
    • Jonah 2:1-2 Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish’s belly, And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.
  • Jonah goes to Nineveh: Jonah 3:1-10
    • Jonah 3:3-4 So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days’ journey. And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.
    • Jonah 3:10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.
  • Jonah’s displeasure in the Lord’s mercy: 4:1-11
    • Jonah 4:1-3 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry. And he prayed unto the Lord, and said, I pray thee, O Lord, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil. Therefore now, O Lord, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.
    • Jonah 4:11 And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?

Christ in the Book of Jonah

  • Christ the Savior
    • Luke 19:10(NKJV) for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
    • 1 Timothy 2:4(NKJV) who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
  • The Sign of Jonah
    • Matthew 12:40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
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Understanding Obadiah’s Prophecy Against Edom

Obadiah 1:15(NKJV) For the day of the LORD upon all the nations is near, As you have done, it shall be done to you; Your reprisal shall return upon your own head.


Author

  • The Prophet Obadiah

Date

  • 588-583 B.C.
    “Servant/Worshiper of Yahweh

Theme

  • God’s judgment on Edom

Purpose

  • Obadiah is the shortest book of the Old Testament (21 verses).
  • The prophet Obadiah prophesies against the nation of Edom.
    • The Edomites are descendants of Esau.
  • There has always been hostility between the descendants of Jacob and the descendants of Esau.
  • During the Babylonian invasions and eventual captivity, the Edomites joined in to bring destruction and desecration to the land of Judah and the city of Jerusalem.
  • This book is about God’s promise of judgment on the Edomites for their treatment of the Israelites and His promise of deliverance and prosperity of His people.

Content

  • The judgment of Edom: Obediah1:1-16
    • Obadiah 1:1, 2(NKJV) The vision of Obadiah. Thus says the Lord GOD concerning Edom (We have heard a report from the LORD, And a messenger has been sent among the nations, saying, “Arise, and let us rise up against her for battle”): Behold, I will make you small among the nations; You shall be greatly despised.
  • Victory for God’s people: Obediah 1:17-21
    • Obadiah 1:17-21  But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions. And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for the Lord hath spoken it. And they of the south shall possess the mount of Esau; and they of the plain the Philistines: and they shall possess the fields of Ephraim, and the fields of Samaria: and Benjamin shall possess Gilead. And the captivity of this host of the children of Israel shall possess that of the Canaanites, even unto Zarephath; and the captivity of Jerusalem, which is in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the south. And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the Lord’s.

Christ in the Book of Obadiah

  • Type of Christ as the deliverer, and final Judge
Old Testament Overview: Key Themes Explained

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Understanding Amos: Judgment and Restoration

Amos 5:24 But let justice run down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream.


Author

  • Amos
  • Amos means “Burden Bearer”


Date

  • 760-750 B.C.
  • During the reign of Uzziah of Judah and Jeroboam II in Israel.


Theme

  • The judgment of God coming to the northern kingdom of Israel.


Purpose

  • Amos was taken from shepherding the herds and tending the crops to be a voice of warning to the northern kingdom of Israel. It was a time of great prosperity for both Judah and Israel. Idolatry was rampant the rich were living in luxury, the poor were being oppressed, and the judicial system was corrupt.
  • Amos prophesied that unless there was a change in heart God’s hand of judgment would
    come upon them. The people of Israel mistook their prosperity for a sign of God’s approval and blessing.


Content

  • Judgment of Israel’s neighbors: Amos 1:1-2:5
    • Amos 1:3 Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof, because they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron:
      • The neighboring countries are Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom Ammon, Moab, Judah
  • Judgment on Israel: Amos 2:6-16
    • Amos 2:6,7(NKJV) Thus says the LORD: “For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, Because they sell the righteous for silver, And the poor for a pair of sandals. They pant after the dust of the earth which is on the head of the poor, And pervert the way of the humble. A man and his father go in to the same girl, To defile My holy name.
  • Israel’s guilt 3:1-6:14
    • Amos 3:1-3(NKJV) Hear this word that the LORD has spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying: You only have I known of all the families of the earth; Therefore, I will punish you for all your iniquities.” Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?
  • Five visions: Amos 7:1-9:10
    • Vision of Locust
    • Vision of Fire
    • Vision of the Plumb Line
    • Summer Fruit
    • Destruction of Israel
  • Restoration: Amos 9:11-15
    • Amos 9:11-15(NKJV) On that day I will raise up The tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, And repair its damages; I will raise up its ruins, And rebuild it as in the days of old; That they may possess the remnant of Edom, And all the Gentiles who are called by My name,” Says the LORD who does this thing. Behold, the days are coming,” says the LORD, “When the plowman shall overtake the reaper, And the treader of grapes him who sows seed; The mountains shall drip with sweet wine, And all the hills shall flow with it. I will bring back the captives of My people Israel; They shall build the waste cities and inhabit them; They shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them; They shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them. I will plant them in their land, And no longer shall they be pulled up From the land I have given them,” Says the LORD your God.

Christ in the Book of Amos

  • In the Book of Amos, there are several connections to Jesus:
    • Similar Backgrounds: Both Amos and Jesus came from humble beginnings and were seen as outsiders with important messages for the people.
      • Shepherd
        • John 10:4,5(NKJV) And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”
    • Servant Leadership: Amos lived a life devoted to service, paralleling Jesus’ teachings and lifestyle.
    • Burden Bearers: Amos expressed deep concern for the sins of the people, similar to how Jesus bore the burdens of humanity.
    • Fulfillment of Prophecy: The messages in Amos point towards the coming of Jesus, who fulfills the intentions of God for humanity.
  • These connections illustrate how the themes in Amos resonate with the life and mission of Jesus.
Old Testament Overview: Key Themes Explained

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bible, Bible Study, Old Testament Survey, Scriptural Articles

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