The One Year Bible- December 9th
Someone once
said to me that every day is a battle between what is important and what is
immediate. What did they mean by
this? The important things are those
items on your list; the things that you need to get done. The immediate things are those that other
people need you to do for their lists or things that you have no control
over. I think this time more than any
other we need to find that balance between the important and the
immediate. Where is Bible reading in all
this? Well it is very important and when
you have to write a blog each week it becomes immediate. Don’t let this struggle get you down and
remember that in this season, we focus on the important fact that Christ came
to be our mediator and that in a truth we can hold on to immediately. On to the study...
Seth’s
Thoughts
The Old
Testament
We covered a lot of ground this week and we will cover even more next week. Finishing up the book of Hosea we continued to see the symbolism of Gomer and Hosea’s relationship compared to the relationship between the Lord and his people. There are some hard things in this book but the steadfast love of God will persevere no matter what. His love keeps his anger in check, his love wants the best for us, and in his love he will provide a way (think Jesus here) for us. We see this when Hosea writes, “I will not carry out my fierce anger, nor will I turn and devastate Ephraim. For I am God, and not man— the Holy One among you. I will not come in wrath”. (Hosea 11:9 NIV). What comfort we have in our loving God.
We covered a lot of ground this week and we will cover even more next week. Finishing up the book of Hosea we continued to see the symbolism of Gomer and Hosea’s relationship compared to the relationship between the Lord and his people. There are some hard things in this book but the steadfast love of God will persevere no matter what. His love keeps his anger in check, his love wants the best for us, and in his love he will provide a way (think Jesus here) for us. We see this when Hosea writes, “I will not carry out my fierce anger, nor will I turn and devastate Ephraim. For I am God, and not man— the Holy One among you. I will not come in wrath”. (Hosea 11:9 NIV). What comfort we have in our loving God.
Joel is one
of those books that we see a lot about “The Day of the Lord”. We
discussed this a few weeks ago. We will see its culmination in the book of
Revelation as well. Since God is a just God, at some point, he will bring
judgment upon those who have disobeyed. We read about the love of God in Hosea,
but in Joel we see his judgment and it is not pretty. This will be a time of
suffering and strife. One of the keys to the book comes in chapter two, “Rend your heart and not your garments. Return
to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and
abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.” (Joel 2:13 NIV). We should have a change of heart before
the Day of the Lord. The Lord says that he will be a refuge and a fortress for
his people. There is some good news of grace but it is limited to those who
believe.
The message
of the book of Amos is similar. Amos describes that day like this, “Woe to you who long for the day of the LORD!
Why do you long for the day of the LORD?
That day will be darkness, not light. It
will be as though a man fled from a lion only to meet a bear, as though he
entered his house and rested his hand on the wall only to have a snake bite him”. (Amos 5:18-19 NIV). Not a good day
indeed!! There are many warnings in the book to come back to the safety of
Yahweh. The book ends with a mention of the Davidic Covenant (9:11) and a
message of hope for all those exiled (9:13-15).
The book of
Obadiah gives a message to the land of Edom. Those who live in this land are
the descendants of Esau and have caused many problems for God’s chosen people
for many years. Judgment is again the main theme and the return of the exiles
is secondary. Edom, and when reading between the lines, others like Edom, will
be destroyed because of how they treated others.
The New
Testament
The small letters of 3 John and Jude are tucked away at the back of the New Testament but that does not mean that they are unimportant. Third John gives us some great words on supporting mission work and the people that are engaged in it. The book of Jude has some interesting quotes in it that make it a bit suspect in some circles. We know that the letter is general in nature being that it is written to all but the author quotes from a book called The Assumption of Moses in his letter. This is a bit odd because that book was never granted status as scripture. Because of this many discount the letter in its entirety. This may be a bit unfair because the book still has some very good and doctrinally sound material in it the best being verses 20 and 21, “But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.” (NIV)
The small letters of 3 John and Jude are tucked away at the back of the New Testament but that does not mean that they are unimportant. Third John gives us some great words on supporting mission work and the people that are engaged in it. The book of Jude has some interesting quotes in it that make it a bit suspect in some circles. We know that the letter is general in nature being that it is written to all but the author quotes from a book called The Assumption of Moses in his letter. This is a bit odd because that book was never granted status as scripture. Because of this many discount the letter in its entirety. This may be a bit unfair because the book still has some very good and doctrinally sound material in it the best being verses 20 and 21, “But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.” (NIV)
On to the
book of Revelation. This is one of the most intimidating books in the entire
Bible. Outside of the Gospels, more has been written on this book than most of
the others. I will admit to you that for many years I too have been scared of
this book. Lutherans in general shy away from the book because for the most
part we don’t sweat the details. We know that the world will end and that God
has promised to take care of the believers. I think we have learned our lesson
from many of the prophets in their description of “The Day of the Lord”. But
just because we don’t worry does not mean we should ignore this book. We need
to know what it says especially because other Christian groups spend an
inordinate amount of time focusing on this book. We at least must be conversant
when someone asks us a question.
The first
thing to remember is that the book of Revelation is written as an Apocalypse
(meaning revealed in Greek) to John and describes the end of the world using
figurative language. We should not get carried away with the literal
interpretation of the book. We also need to remember to keep the events of the
book within the context that they were intended. John was writing from a first
century point of view to people with the same worldview. He was attempting to
describe future events so his hearers or readers could understand. We should be
weary of placing too much of our own culture and time on the text and make it
say things John never intended. Don’t try to read too much into the text!!
As we begin
the book we see a vision from John that is remarkably similar to ones we just
read in Ezekiel and in Daniel. I think John was trying to use things that he
knew to describe amazing things. The four beasts and the halo around God were
all seen in the Old Testament as well as the sea of glass. We will get into
this more but almost all the time when we see numbers of things, there is
meaning there. For example the number three is almost always associated with
the triune God, six is the number of evil, seven is the number of perfection
and of God, ten signifies completion. Multiples of these numbers give emphasis.
John is told
to write letters to the seven Churches in Asia Minor. If seven signifies perfection
and God then this letter can be seen as being written to all the Churches in
the world; each one giving us a glimpse of ourselves in their strengths and
weaknesses.
I don’t want
to get you too confused this week so I will let you digest this information
first. As you read, remember to keep it in context and remember that almost
everything is written in symbolic language.
Bits and Pieces
Lots of books
in the Old Testament to get ready for, here is the info: Don’t let it scare you, these are just tools
to help in your understanding of God’s Word.
Here are the
vital stats for Jonah:
PURPOSE: To
show the extant of God’s grace—the message of salvation if for all people
AUTHOR: Jonah
son of Amittai
TO WHOM
WRITTEN: Israel and God’s people everywhere
DATE WRITTEN:
Approx. 785-760 B.C.
SETTING:
Jonah preceded Amos and ministered under Jeroboam II, Israel’s most powerful
king. Assyria was Israel’s great enemy, and Israel was conquered by them in722
B.C. Nineveh’s repentance must have been short lived, for it was destroyed in
612 B.C.
KEY VERSE:
“But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell
their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be
concerned about that great city?” (4:11)
LAW THEMES: Evil;
flight from God; indifference; fasting and sackcloth; God’s appointed testing.
GOSPEL
THEMES: God’s appointed mercy; steadfast love; God turns/relents; pity.
SPECIAL
FEATURES: This book is different from the other prophetic books because it
tells the story of the prophet and does not center on his prophecies. In fact,
only one verse summarizes his message to the people of Nineveh (3:4). Jonah is
a historical narrative. It is also mentioned by Jesus as a picture of his death
and resurrection (Matthew 12:38-42)
Here are the
vital stats for Micah:
PURPOSE: To
warn God’s people that judgment is coming and to offer pardon to all who
repent.
AUTHOR:
Micah, a native of Moresheth, near Gath, about 20 miles southwest of Jerusalem
TO WHOM
WRITTEN: The people of Israel (the Northern kingdom) and of Judah (the Southern
kingdom)
DATE WRITTEN:
Possibly during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah (742-687 B.C.)
SETTING:
Micah was a contemporary of Isaiah and Hosea
KEY VERSE:
“He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (6:8)
LAW THEMES:
Nakedness and shame; remnant; exile; false prophets.
GOSPEL
THEMES: Remant; Zion; shepherd; God’s patience.
SPECIAL
FEATURES: This is a beautiful example of Hebrew poetry. There are three parts,
each beginning with “Hear” or “Listen” and closing with a promise
Here are the
vital stats for Nahum:
PURPOSE: To
pronounce God’s judgment on Assyria and to comfort Judah with this truth
AUTHOR: Nahum
TO WHOM
WRITTEN: The people of Nineveh and Judah
DATE WRITTEN:
Sometime during Nahum’s prophetic ministry (663-612 B.C.)
SETTING: The
particular prophecy took place after the fall of Thebes in 663 B.C.
KEY VERSE:
“The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust
in him, but with an overwhelming flood he will make an end of Nineveh; he will
pursue his foes into darkness. Whatever they plot against the Lord he will
bring to an end; trouble will not come a second time. (1:7-9)
LAW THEMES:
The Lord is jealous and avenging; Nineveh is destroyed.
GOSPEL
THEMES: The Lord frees oppressed Judah; His Word and feasts are for His people.
Here are the
vital stats for Habakkuk:
PURPOSE: To
show that God is still in control of the world despite the apparent triumph of
evil
AUTHOR:
Habakkuk
TO WHOM
WRITTEN: Judah (the southern kingdom), and God’s people everywhere
DATE WRITTEN:
Between 612-588 B.C.
SETTING:
Babylon was becoming the dominant world power and Judah would soon feel Babylon’s
destructive force.
KEY VERSE:
“Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord. Renew
them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.” (3:2)
LAW THEMES:
Evil, which God permits to afflict His people; the need for patience; woes
against drunkenness and idolatry; God’s wrath.
GOSPEL
THEMES: The Lord supplies patience; the righteous shall live by faith; God
remembers mercy; faith and joy in the midst of trouble.
Here are the
vital stats for Zephaniah:
PURPOSE: To
shake the people of Judah out of their complacency and urge them to return to
God
AUTHOR:
Zephaniah
TO WHOM
WRITTEN: Judah and all nations
DATE WRITTEN:
Probably near the end of Zephaniah’s ministry (640-621 B.C.) when King Josiah’s
great reforms began.
SETTING: King
Josiah of Judah was attempting to reverse the evil trends set by the previous
kings. Josiah was able to extend his influence because there wasn’t a strong
superpower dominating the world at that time. Zephaniah’s prophecy may have
been the motivating factor in Josiah’s reform. Zephaniah was a contemporary of
Jeremiah
KEY VERSE:
“Seek the Lord , all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek
righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the
Lord’s anger.” (2:3)
LAW THEMES:
God’s wrath against the nations, including His chosen people; the day of the
LORD.
GOSPEL
THEMES: The day of the LORD; the remnant preserved; the nations seek the Lord;
the Lord is in our midst.
Here are the
vital stats for Haggai:
PURPOSE: To
call the people to complete the rebuilding of the temple
AUTHOR:
Haggai
TO WHOM
WRITTEN: The people living in Jerusalem and those who had returned from exile
DATE WRITTEN:
520 B.C
SETTING: The
temple in Jerusalem had been destroyed in 586 B.C. Cyrus allowed the Jews to
return to their homeland and rebuild their temple in 538 B.C. They began the
work but were unable to complete it. Through the ministry of Haggai and
Zechariah, the temple was completed.
KEY VERSE:
“Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while
this house remains in ruins?” (1:4)
LAW THEMES:
Condemnation of self serving interests; living with the result of sinful
behavior; shaking the nations.
GOSPEL
THEMES: The Lord blesses the people’s focus on receiving the Word; the promise
of the Spirit; chosen by the Lord.
SPECIAL
FEATURES: Haggai was the first of the post-exilic prophets. The other two were
Zechariah and Malachi. The literary style of this book is simple and direct.
I will give
you the vital stats for Zechariah next week.
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