Apicontent

Obadiah announces Edom’s downfall to Babylon, which is an image of how God will bring down all arrogant and violent nations.

The smallest Old Testament account, the Book of Obadiah is a vision written by The Lord’s prophet known as Obadiah, who prophesied against Israel’s relative nation Edom.

Edom will fall

The Edomites, who were descended from Jacob’s brother Esau, still carried the grudge their founder had for Jacob’s deception. Worse, Esau’s nation hated Israel even more. They refused to help Israel in their need, sold them as slaves, and even abused them while they were exiled to Babylon.

Through Obadiah, God declares judgment over Edom and prophesies that they will be erased from history. Babylon overtook Edom 100 years later, never to recover again.

A subversive story about a rebellious prophet who despises his God for loving his enemies.

If you have ever attended church, Sunday school, or bedtime story sessions as a child, you have likely heard about the story in the Book of Jonah at some point. But, the prophet Jonah’s account of remarkable experiences with storms at sea, being eaten by a fish, and plants that miraculously grow and die in a day have lessons that go much deeper than what is on the surface.

Forgiveness is hard

Through Jonah’s perspective, we have the opportunity to perform a spiritual checkup of ourselves. Do we truly forgive and love our enemies? Do we run away from the Lord about certain issues, afraid of being exposed? The answer is different for every individual, and yet God personally knows the answers to these questions. By examining ourselves in Jonah’s story, we can learn to trust God in His final decisions and give all our concerns to Him, while knowing that He desires to save every individual on Earth and reunite with them forever.

No one is too far for Him to reach.

Micah announces that God’s justice is coming in order to create a new future of love and faithfulness on the other side of Israel’s sin and exile.

The book of Micah describes God’s coming judgment on Israel because of its rebellion. The Assyrian Empire and then the Babylon Empire would destroy the nation and leave Jerusalem in ruin.

The good shepherd

However, Micah also gives the people hope. Like a shepherd, God will one day gather and restore a faithful remnant to the land. He will rebuild Jerusalem, defeat evil forever, set a Messianic King to rule over the people and bless all the nations.

Before that can happen, though, He must confront and judge evil from among His people. Then He can show mercy and fulfill His covenant promise to Abraham and bless all the nations through Israel. His ultimate purpose is not to destroy Israel but to redeem and save the world.

Nahum portrays the downfall of Nineveh and Assyria as an image of how God will confront and bring down all violent human empires.

The book of Nahum is a collection of poems announcing the downfall of Assyria, one of Israel’s worst oppressors. Referencing Daniel, Exodus, Isaiah and Babylon, Nahum shows us that the destruction of Nineveh and Assyria are examples of how God works in history in every age.

God is just

He is committed to justice and will not allow any arrogant, violent or evil nation to endure forever. However, while He defeats evil, He is also good and cares for the innocent. He will provide a refuge on the day of distress for anyone who humbles himself before God, believes in God’s justice and trusts that in His time He will bring down oppressors in every time and place.

Habakkuk struggles to understand God’s goodness in the midst of such evil and injustice in the world.

The book of Habakkuk is a compilation of the prophet’s laments, not an accusation against Israel and its sin or a message to the people on God’s behalf like some of the other prophetic books. Instead, Habakkuk questions God’s goodness because he sees so much injustice, evil and tragedy in the world. He’s also concerned because God plans to send Babylon, an intensely evil nation, to judge Israel.

When will your justice be done?

Throughout the book, we see that Babylon is an example of any nation that exalts itself above God and practices injustice, violence and idolatry. In the end, God reminds Habakkuk and every generation that God will deal with evil. We can continue to love and trust His timing and plan as we remain faithful to Him.

Zephaniah announces God’s purifying judgment on Israel. It will remove evil and open up a new future where all people can flourish in peace.

The book of Zephaniah contains some of the most intense images of God’s justice and love found in the prophetic books. Zephaniah warns Israel and the surrounding nations that the day of the Lord is near. God will judge the nations with a burning fire as He purifies them from sin, evil and violence.

Judgment and hope

God performs this act of justice because He’s passionate about protecting and rescuing His world from evil. He loves us so much that He must purify us. Only then can He bring restoration where He removes evil forever and creates a New Jerusalem for His faithful remnant from all nations to gather and flourish in peace and praise Him. Together, God’s justice and love give the world future hope.

Haggai challenges Israel after the exile to remain faithful to their God and rebuild the temple.

The people of Israel were conquered by Babylon because they broke their covenant with God through idolatry and injustice. The book of Haggai was written 70 years after this prophesied exile and recounts the experience of a small group of Israelites, led by Joshua and Zerubbabel, who had returned to rebuild Jerusalem.

Remember the covenant

Haggai challenges the returning exiles to remember their covenant, remain faithful to God and build the temple before constructing their own homes. While the new temple didn’t meet their expectations, their efforts and faithfulness would be blessed. They could also be encouraged by God’s promise to build a New Jerusalem for His international kingdom, defeat evil, and live in their midst. Future prophetic books contain more details about when these promises would be fulfilled.

Zechariah’s visions foster hope in the future promise of the messianic kingdom, and challenge Israel after the exile to remain faithful to God.

Almost 70 years after the exile, the Israelites were experiencing hardships and wondered if prophetic promises of a New Jerusalem would ever be fulfilled. The book of Zechariah answers this question through several dream visions.

Things just got weird

These bizarre images remind God’s people that they must remain faithful to the covenant if they want the New Jerusalem, Messianic kingdom, peace on earth and end of evil to come to pass. Even though the book doesn’t follow a neat, orderly pattern and contains scary and bizarre images, it shows glimpses of God’s hand at work guiding history toward His own purposes. We can look above the chaos and hope for the coming of God’s kingdom, which will motivate faithfulness in the present.

Malachi accuses Israel of selfishness after the exile and announces that the day of the Lord will purify Israel and prepare them for God’s kingdom.

One hundred years after exile, the Israelites who had returned to Jerusalem were as evil and corrupt as their ancestors. The book of Malachi addresses their corruption regarding issues like sacrifices, marriage and tithing. It also affirms that God does love His people and will fulfill prophecy.

A final word on the future Messiah

The entire Scripture is one unified story that tells us the truth about the human condition and sin while announcing God’s promise to one day send a messenger and then show up personally. He will defeat evil and purify a faithful remnant, establish a New Jerusalem and bring peace, healing and justice forever. It’s that promise that prompts God’s people to denounce sin, remain faithful to His covenant and hope for the future.

The book of Psalms has been designed to be the prayer book of God’s people as they wait for the Messiah and his coming kingdom.

Written to join the Hebrew Torah, or the first five books of the Old Testament, the Book of Psalms is a remarkable collection of poems from David, Moses, and other Jewish writers.

Joy, pain, and prayer

Take one look at Psalms makes it clear that it is much more than enlightening literature: it too is God’s Word with equal importance like the Torah. The Psalms also carry an excellent order throughout its chapters and is separated into five main books. Each book carries a specific theme complete with its own introduction, key points, and endnotes.

Through the Psalms, we learn about the importance of prayer and the acknowledgment of pain, as well as the power of praise and fulfillment of prophecy. Note how the Psalms correspond particularly well with Isaiah, Zechariah, and God’s covenant with David in Chapter 7 of 2 Samuel.