February 2022
REFLECTIONS ON THE WRITING PROPHETS
‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 22
H A B A K K U K
The very first impression of this prophetic book is that it might well have been written for today! And one is tempted to feel quite sorry for Habakkuk. The very opening words convey that. “The burden which the prophet Habakkuk saw”. This was not a visionary experience alone. Habakkuk actually described the situation in which he lived in Judah. “Why do You show me iniquity, and cause me to see trouble?” Is the question Habakkuk asked of the LORD. But before we get to the answer he received from the LORD, Habakkuk had much more to tell us about the condition of that nation of Judah and its people. In the prophetic books on which we have ‘reflected’ in the past weeks, we noted that God had given Judah many warnings about His displeasure at the way of life they had adopted, or perhaps more accurately, ‘slid into’. In terms of history, the northern kingdom of Israel had been judged by God, and taken into captivity by the Assyrians over 120 years earlier. The prophet Nahum was sent by God to pronounce God’s judgement on the Assyrians. Just a few years before this prophecy of Habakkuk, those Assyrians had been routed by the Babylonians. Now those same Babylonians were harassing Judah, and poor Habakkuk was living there to witness it. And it was ‘burdensome’ to him. He could not be silent, and he called out to the LORD.
Habakkuk lamented that the Torah, such an important part of the life of the people of God, seemed no longer to have any influence among them. “For the wicked surround the righteous; therefore perverse judgement proceeds”. Of course, we know that this was precisely why God was so angry with them. Torah observance was part and parcel of the covenant the LORD had made with them and their forefathers. And as Habakkuk communed with God, he heard the LORD say to him “Look among the nations and watch - be utterly astounded! (as He knew Habakkuk would be) 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 (Babylonians), a bitter and hasty nation which marches through the breadth of the earth, to possess dwelling places that are not theirs. They are terrible and dreadful”. These invaders were fresh from their conquest of Assyria. But they were not finished. God was using them as His agent of discipline. The rest of the first chapter of our text has more commentary on the worst aspects of the character of these Babylonians. And Habakkuk could see that there was little or no hope left for the people of Judah. He seemed to sum up the situation as he decided to ‘watch and pray’. In the manner of the ‘watchman’ described by the prophet Ezekiel (Ch,3 and 33) he said “I will stand my watch and set myself on the rampart, and watch to see what He will say to me, and what I will answer when I am corrected”.
And so it is that we come to the answer God gave to the question Habakkuk posed earlier. HE said “Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it.” But there was much more to it, and this situation has many lessons for all who read it today. “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”. It is not unlike the prophetic word given to Daniel (Dan 12) in which the LORD told him to ‘seal it up until the time of the end’ (which will happen when God’s appointed time comes). This is worthy of our close attention. There is a time of reckoning for everyone. For the people of Judah, it was close at hand. But as we read on we see that the Babylonian invaders have an appointment with the LORD as well! There are 5 ‘woes’ mentioned here which are charged against the Babylonians. The wise among us will be doing a personal check to discover if there is some mending to be done in our “own house”. There is judgment ahead.
“Behold the proud, his soul is not upright in him; but the just shall live by faith”. Remember the words of the Apostle Paul? “In lowliness of mind, let each esteem others better than himself.” (Philippians 2:3) The neglect of this is perhaps the beginning of many injustices. So much intolerance of others can be found right here. But the LORD has some more charges to lay.
“Woe to him who increases what’s not his …. And to him who loads himself up with many pledges”.
“Woe to him who covets evil gain for his house, that he may set his nest on high”.
“Woe to him who builds his house on bloodshed, who establishes a city by iniquity”.
“Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbour; .. even to make him drunk that you may look on his nakedness!’
“”Woe to him who says to wood ‘Awake’! To silent stone ‘Arise! It shall teach”.
All of this speaks of the depravity of the people. And each of these ‘woes’ are in our society today, albeit in various modern guises. And the final word here belongs to Habakkuk. He stood, and watched. He looked at the behaviour of his fellow Judeans. He saw the activity of the invading Chaldeans. He heard the voice of the LORD. He saw the might and majesty of God. He remembered what the LORD had accomplished in bringing His people to the land. And he spoke.
“But the LORD is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him”. May that be our experience as we ponder the coming judgement of God. It is, after all “an appointed time” ahead for everyone.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
REFLECTIONS ON THE WRITING PROPHETS
‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 21
Z E P H A N I A H
The prophecy of Zephaniah continues where it left off last week with the list of complaints mounting up. “Woe to her (the nation) who is rebellious and polluted …. etc.”. Disobedience to the voice of God, lack of trust in His words conveyed through Moses, and then agreed by their forefathers. Their leaders, judges, prophets, priests and their kings, had all failed to live up to the promises made in covenant with God, in regard to the righteous living which that covenant required. Even worse, perhaps, they had succumbed to idol worship of the Canaanite gods they had been told to destroy. Then another reminder, driving home the differences between the parties to the covenant. “The LORD is righteous in her midst, He will do no unrighteousness. Every morning He brings His justice to light; He never fails, but the unjust know no shame”. The case against the people of Judah was building up. The warnings cannot continue for ever. We know the history. God would not wait much longer, just a few decades, before His judgment visited them in the form of captivity at the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, followed by their removal from the land and taken to Babylon.
As Zephaniah continued, the scope of the prophecy expanded to situations way beyond the immediate plight of the Judeans of that day. “‘Therefore wait for Me’ says the LORD, ‘until the day I rise up for plunder’, My determination is to gather the nations to My assembly of kingdoms, to pour on them My indignation, all My fierce anger; all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of My jealousy”.
In Deuteronomy 28, 29 God had told the people the blessings which would be theirs when they lived as He commanded them. They were not ‘suggestions’. He also told them what would happen if they chose not to live that way. One of the major consequences of such disobedience … expulsion from the land. Now a question for our consideration. God does not change. He is consistent in nature and character, and not a ‘respecter of persons’. Does God have any such requirement of those who are His today, as He obviously did for those who were His in the days of Zephaniah? It certainly does not involve gentile expulsion from the land. But obedience to Him is evidently key to relationship with Him. Whatever the LORD says to an individual in regard to His requirement, the wise among us will DO! The reference to His gathering of nations, “My assembly of kingdoms” is quite clear. It is an event still future to us today. And it will be inescapable for those living in that day, as was God’s judgement on the people of Zephaniah’s day. But God’s “fierce anger” of that coming day will herald the beginning of a quite different day.
“For then I will restore to the peoples a pure language, that they all may call on the name of the LORD, to serve Him with one accord”. Commentators are divided on what this “pure language” might mean. Some suggest a return to the language prior to the “confusion of language” at the time of the tower of Babel. Others think it may be a new language altogether. There are no clues in the text other than the word “restore”. I offer what the LORD has shown me. I see it as the language of the New Covenant. It will be pure in that everyone will understand it and will be able to call on the LORD in unity of heart and mind. It will be a time when the Torah of God will be put in the mind, and written on the heart of man. No-one will be able to teach it, because “it will be known by everyone, from the least to the greatest”. A time when everyone will serve the LORD with ONE accord. That must surely be the millennial kingdom in which Yeshua will rule and reign from Jerusalem. “Sing O daughter of Zion! Shout O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The LORD has taken away your judgements, He has cast out your enemy. The King of Israel is in your midst; you shall see disaster no more”. That cannot refer to the first coming of Messiah, because Israel certainly has seen disaster since that time. Regrettably, the christian church, down through the ages since then, has been quite prominent in bringing such disaster on the “people of the Book” for centuries.
But there is so much more. “In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: ‘Do not fear; Zion, let not your hands be weak, 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”. Has there ever been uttered such an expression of God’s love for His people Israel. We do well to remember that these words were spoken at a time when God was greatly angered by their behaviour, by their wanton disregard for the covenant which God had made with their forefathers. He made a covenant with Abram, with Isaac, and with Jacob. He is a covenant keeping God. What He says He will DO! Nations of this earth seem blithely unaware of God’s heart for Israel. Many of our churches, and those who lead them, seem ignorant of the relationship which God forged with Israel centuries ago. And it is ALL written in our Bible. Every believer SHOULD be aware of it.
Finally, a promise which as nations, and as individuals, we ignore at our peril. “I will gather those who sorrow over the appointed assembly (note here that during their captivity, the Israelites were unable to attend the Temple for these ‘mo’edim’ of the LORD) Who (note the capital indicating God’s presence on those occasions) to whom its reproach is a burden. Behold at that time I will deal with all who afflict you”. Selah!
Shabbat Shalom
RS
REFLECTIONS ON THE WRITING PROPHETS
‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 20
Z E P H A N I A H
Zephaniah was a contemporary of Jeremiah. “The word of the LORD came to Zephaniah … in the days of Josiah, king of Judah”. His lineage through Cushi, Gedaliah and Amariah, tells us that he was a descendant of king Hezekiah. Interestingly, Hezekiah was the last “good king” (three kings earlier) to sit on the throne of Judah, before king Josiah, (the final ‘good king’ of this southern kingdom). He sat on the throne at the time of Zephaniah’s prophecy. Josiah broke down the altars of worship to Baal in about 628 BCE., and it was about 6 years later that the Book of the Law (Torah) was found during the repair of the Temple (2 Chronicles 34:14). When that book was read to him by Shaphan the scribe, Josiah’s reaction was immediate. “Go inquire of the LORD for me, and for those who are left in Israel and Judah, concerning the words of the book that is found; for great is the wrath of the LORD that is poured out on us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the LORD, to do all that is written in this book”. And we know that it was this failure of the forefathers which, out of concern for them, caused God to send these prophets to speak, in His name, to the people of Israel and Judah.
“I will utterly consume everything from the face of the land.” Says the LORD. Zephaniah brought a prophecy of profound proportion. It is evident that no longer is the LORD talking only of the people of that time, for which this prophecy would have a degree of immediacy, and be of relative temporary duration. The prophet is talking about events which are even future to us living today. It is both future in regard to the time of Messiah’s return (bear in mind He had not at that stage visited the earth in person the first time), but further still beyond the timing of Messiah’s reign on this earth during His Millennial Kingdom. Much of this destruction is referred to in the vision given to the Apostle John in Revelation. In regard to the immediacy, the prophet writes “I will stretch out My hand against Judah, and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem”. This is much closer to home for them.
For their idolatrous worship of Baal (the Canaanite god of fertility), the northern kingdom, Israel, had already been judged, and taken captive by the Assyrians about 100 years earlier. Now this southern kingdom was tainted by the same idolatry. God is promising that He will “cut off every trace of Baal from this place”. In effect, God is saying to them, (and it is hard to consider those words not also being directed at all who are His), in my paraphrase, ‘I have given you plenty of warning that I will not be worshipped by those who worship Baal (or any other idol). Either you cut it out yourself, or I will do it for you.’ In His words, “Be silent in the presence of the Lord GOD; For the day of the LORD is at hand, for the LORD has prepared a sacrifice; He has invited His guests”. Speaking directly to the Judeans here, He says ‘don’t try to justify yourselves’. It is now My turn to act. The sacrifice which has been prepared is that of these rebellious people themselves. The guests invited are the Babylonians who will act like ‘priests’ in killing that sacrifice. Because we are privileged to know the whole story, we know that not many years later, king Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem and started to carry people into captivity in Babylon.
The words of this prophecy are clear and direct. Complacency has become entrenched in their minds. “I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and punish the men who are settled in complacency, who say in their heart, ‘the LORD will not do good, nor will He do evil. Therefore ….”. Do you sense, as I do, that such a situation seems to be present in our churches today? We appear to have lost the sense of the might and awesome power of our God. It is called ‘complacency’. It is complacency which deludes one into thinking all is well when it is not. Complacency causes one to miss clear signs of trouble. The prophet continues “The great day of the LORD is near; It is near and hastens quickly. The noise of the day of the LORD is bitter; There the mighty men shall cry out. That is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of devastation and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of trumpet and alarm against the fortified cities and against the high towers”. It seems as though the prophet could not find enough words to describe the horror.
But there remains hope for the people of the southern kingdom. In His grace and love for these people, the LORD tells Zephaniah to deliver a kind of final warning. In the midst of this outcry against their rebellious behaviour he says “Gather yourselves together, yes gather together, O undesirable nation, before the decree is issued, or the day passes like chaff, before the LORD’s fierce anger comes upon you” (it’s like asking them to call a meeting to discuss the issues). It reminds me of another warning brought by Isaiah. “Come let his reason together, says the LORD”. The wise among us see this as a message for today. As God also told Isaiah that “His word would not return to Him void but would accomplish the purpose for which it was sent”.
The focus of Zephaniah turns onto the surrounding territories of the enemies of Israel. They have modern names now, but the geography and hostility remains. Gaza, Moab, Ammon, Ethiopia, Assyria, all get a dishonourable mention. Read the account of their future in Chapter 2 of our text. Nations that arrogantly “said in her heart, ‘I am it, and there is none besides me’”. To “become desolate”so that those who pass by will “hiss and shake his fist”. God will not be mocked. He cares about those who are His. But He warns again and again against complacency.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
REFLECTIONS ON THE WRITING PROPHETS
‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 19
N A H U M
The prophecy against Nineveh continued. The events described are worded in the present tense, but we need to keep in mind that they are future to the time of this proclamation, as one might expect of a prophetic message! “He who scatters has come before your face” describes a pattern of behaviour the Assyrians regularly adopted in their many conflicts. Destroying and scattering the vanquished. But the prophecy is that they themselves will suffer the same fate at the hands of their own conquerors. This was fulfilled in 612 BCE when Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon defeated them. Furthermore, what follows about “the LORD restoring the excellency of Jacob like the excellency of Israel” is a historical reference to the time when Jacob found blessing as he wrestled with the angel at Peniel. His name was changed as a result. This is prophetic of a renewal for the house of Judah. It is prophetic of the restoration of Israel as a single nation, remembering that at the time of this prophecy, the northern kingdom had been taken captive at the hand of the Assyrians over 100 years earlier. It speaks of the uniqueness of the relationship God had, and still has, with His covenant people. Such relationship does not exist with any other nation. A relationship “min olam v’ad olam” (for ever and ever). Chastised, expelled from the land, corrected? YES. But never abandoned. But for the Assyrians, the “emptiers have emptied them out and ruined their vine branches.” is another reference to the destructiveness of the Assyrian method of cruelty in victory over others. A fate which will shortly be their own.
The language is descriptive. Every verse of our text references some aspect of the way in which the downfall of Nineveh will impact that nation. Confusion as they seek to defend themselves from the invader (v.4). The defence preparations of military leaders (v.5). Situated on the east bank of the River Tigris, (where modern day Mosul is today) floods will enter the city gates and bring down the palaces (v.6). The goddess of Nineveh (possibly the fertility goddess Ishtar) taken away by the captors in demonstration of the superiority of their own gods. The ‘maidservants’ (temple prostitutes) mourning their loss of income (v.7). And the total destruction likened to the way a lioness tears its prey apart to feed the cubs (vv. 11-13). On and on it goes. And the final condemnation “‘Behold, I am against you’ says the LORD of hosts”. There can be no greater condemnation. From this comes the knowledge of the utter hopelessness of their situation. A situation brought about by their total abandonment of the salvation offered to them when the LORD sent Jonah on his mission to preach to them more than 100 years earlier. There are lessons for all to learn here. This is the word of the LORD. It is recorded in our Bible for a purpose, and it not just for historical information. It will accomplish the purposes for which God sent it, to me, and to you! (Isaiah 55:11). Selah!
Nineveh is about to be shamefully and humiliatingly exposed for the ways in which it had treated others. And not least because they had turned their back on the offer of salvation set before them (Ch3 v 5). Furthermore, the prophet said, instead of mourning their demise, there will be rejoicing. The misery of their defeat is to be theirs alone (v.7). And we get a bit of a history lesson here in the reference to “No Amon”. A magnificent city in southern Egypt which was destroyed by the Assyrian leader Asburnipal in 663 BCE. The humiliating defeat of ‘NO Amon’ was to be replicated in Nineveh by the Babylonians. (v.8). The prophet reminded the people of Nineveh that ‘No Amon’, in all its glory, had some very powerful defenders. Egypt and Ethiopia. In the same way that Nineveh considered her defensive allies to be strong. Put and Lubim are identified by the Jewish historian Josephus as being in what we today know as Libya (v.9). And in a manner of mockery, the prophet describes the defences of Nineveh in disparaging terms. “All your strongholds are fig trees with ripened figs; if they are shaken, they fall into the mouth of the eater. Surely your people in your midst are women! (how politically incorrect today) The gates of your land are wide open for your enemies; fire shall devour the bars of your gates” (vv.12,13). Enough to make a proud people bristle with anger. But that is just vanity against the proclamation of the LORD.
There are two ways in which this prophetic word may be seen. Maybe it is the LORD’s intent that we see, and take heed to both. The first, and most obvious, is in practical terms applying, as it does, to the fate which is about to fall on the hapless citizens of Nineveh. As we have commented earlier, it became their experience just a few short years later. It was a time of God’s judgement. The second way we may see this is also prophetic, but in the manner in which it speaks into our lives today. Certainly, we may not behave in the cruel manner of which these folk of Nineveh are accused. But if we honestly judge ourselves according to the principles of behaviour commanded by God, we would all assuredly fall well short. And that is part of the prophetic message, a time of accounting, a time of warning, and a time for readjustment to align ourselves with God’s will while we still have time to make such change. Let it not be said of us, as it was for these people of Nineveh, “Your shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria; your nobles rest in the dust. Your people are scattered on the mountains. Your injury has no healing, your wound is severe. All who hear news of you will clap their hands over you, for upon whom has not your wickedness passed continually?”
“So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it”. (Isaiah 55:11).
Shabbat Shalom
RS