Week 50, December 8–14: Amos 3–9; Obadiah; Jonah; Micah; Psalms 137–142

• Sun      12/8     Amos 3–4       
• Mon     12/9     Amos 5–7, Psalm 137
• Tue      12/10   Amos 8–9, Obad, Psalm 138
• Wed     12/11   Jonah 1–4, Psalm 139
• Thu      12/12   Micah 1–3, Psalm 140
• Fri        12/13   Micah 4–5, Psalm 141
• Sat       12/14   Micah 6–7, Psalm 142

As we see throughout the prophetic books of the OT, Amos includes some elements of hopeful anticipation within the proclamations of judgement against Israel and Judah. The book ends with a promise that the Lord will raise up the booth of Daivd that is fallen, the king in David’s dynastic line will come and “restore the fortunes” of his people. (Amos 9:11–12) This passage is quoted in Acts, highlighting especially the part of verse 12 that says all the nations, or Gentiles, will be called by the Lord’s name. (Acts 15:16–17) This is a promise of restoration for those who put their faith in the Messiah, Christ, from all peoples and nations.

The next of the Minor Prophets is Obadiah, the fourth part of what we are calling the Book of the Twelve. Obadiah is very short, only one chapter, and it has a singular focus; it is an oracle of judgement against the nation of Edom. In some ways it would be appropriate to consider Edom an estranged brother nation to Israel, which has now become a bitter enemy. Jacob’s brother Esau is the father of the Edomites, and, like the enmity between Jacob and Esau, Israel and Edom have had a violently contentious history. Obadiah is a prophetic declaration against Israel’s enemy Edom.

The short book is introduced under the brief heading “The vision of Obadiah” (Obad. 1:1). Obadiah is one of the Minor Prophets that explicitly mentions the prophet for whom the book is named, and his name means “servant of the Lord (Yahweh).” We do not know exactly when Obadiah was written, but some have suggested it may have been shortly after Babylon destroyed Jerusalem and brought the people of Judah into exile in Babylon. Verses 10–14 depict Edom gloating as their brother nation Jacob is carried of and Jerusalem is destroyed. Psalm 137, which we just so happen to be reading this week also, addresses this same situation. But judgement is coming for Edom too, for they will be judged for their boasting over Jerusalem’s calamity.

Like we have seen in Joel and Amos, Obadiah envisions the coming day of the Lord, and the prospect of this coming day is not good news for Edom or for any other nation that has opposed God or his people. (Obad. 15–16). The violence they have committed shall be done to them, and on the coming day of the Lord the house of Esau shall be consumed by fire. (Obad. 17–18)

This declaration of judgement against Edom is one instance of a repeated motif we find all through the prophets. Several times we read what are referred to as oracles against the nations. These are strong statements of rebuke and prophetic promises of coming judgement against those peoples and nations who have wickedly oppressed God and his people at various stages throughout the history of Israel and Judah. These show up in the Major Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel) as well as here in the Book of the Twelve. Much can be said about the details in the sections, but three general principles characterize the oracles against the nations in the prophets:

1. They express the universal rule of the Lord. He is not only the God of Israel and Judah, but he is the Sovereign Lord of all nations. And his word is powerful wherever it is proclaimed.
2. They express the outworking of the Abrahamic covenant and God’s promise, “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse” (Gen. 12:3).
3. They portray Israel’s prophets as key agents in God’s purposes for his people. As messengers of the Divine Warrior, they bring the weapon of God’s word against the nations.

Jonah may be the most well-known of the Minor Prophets. Unlike the others in the Book of the Twelve, Jonah is mostly narrative, with just chapter two being written in poetic style. We know from 2 Kings 14 that Jonah was a prophet in Israel during the reign of Jeroboam, son of Joash, king of Israel. (2 Kgs. 14:23–27) This was before the time of the northern kingdom, Israel’s fall, and it would not be long after Jeroboam’s reign, and Jonah’s prophetic ministry, that Israel would be destroyed and sent into exile at the hand of their Assyrian enemies. This historical background, which we know of from the biblical context, is important to keep in mind because Ninevah, the city to which God sent Jonah, was the capital city of Assyria. Jonah’s reluctance to obey God and go to Nineveh was understandable, though his disobedience still unacceptable.

There are many interesting and mysterious things about Jonah, with several striking and even humorous details. It presents the Israelite prophet in a negative light, whereas the Gentile characters in the book are, in many ways, more commendable than Jonah. We see this perhaps most clearly in the immediate and comprehensive repentance of the Ninevites. The text makes a point to highlight explicitly their full repentance. They responded to Jonah’s brief oracle by believing God, fasting, and putting on sackcloth “from the greatest of them to the least of them” (Jon. 3:5). The king of Nineveh put on sackcloth, sat in ashes, and demanded every animate being in his realm to put on sackcloth, fast completely, and repent from their evil ways. (3:6–8) God looks favorably on this and freely choses not to destroy the city.

On the other hand, Jonah disobeys God, flees from him, reacts with apparent apathy at God’s judgment (while the Gentile sailors fear God), and displays petulant despair at his own discomfort while mourning the preservation of the lives of the Ninevites. Jonah’s most egregious offense is his anger at God for being “a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love” (4:2). This is an almost-verbatim quote from Exod. 34:6–7, God’s own self-declaration of his name and his character. This statement from Exodus 34 is quoted or at least alluded to in each of the twelve Minor Prophets, but Jonah cites it as an angry accusation against the Lord. The story of Jonah is about a rebellious Israelite prophet who cares more about himself, his comfort, and his people than about the Lord’s compassionate character and loving plan for all peoples.

We come to Micah next. This sixth entry in the Book of the Twelve alternates between warnings of judgment on the one hand, and messages of salvation on the other hand. It is here that we learn of a coming royal Savior from Bethlehem. The book is named for the prophet Micah of Moresheth, who is listed at the beginning of the book. His name means “Who is like you, Lord (Yahweh)?”(see Mic. 7:18) and he prophesied during the time of the Judahite kings Jotham (2 Kgs 15:32-38), Ahaz (2 Kgs 16), and Hezekiah (2 Kgs 18–20), making him a contemporary of Isaiah (see Isa. 1:1). In Micah, we see again the theme of God’s concern for justice, mercy, and humility more than with sacrifices and offerings. Micah 6:6–8 is one of the most familiar passages from the Minor Prophets, and even though all Scripture is both timeless and timely in what it proclaims, the message of these verses is a particularly poignant reminder for us today:

“With what shall I come before the Lord,

and bow myself before God on high?

Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,

       with calves a year old?

Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,

       with ten thousands of rivers of oil?

Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,

       the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”

He has told you, O man, what is good;

       and what does the Lord require of you

but to do justice, and to love kindness,

       and to walk humbly with your God? (Mic. 6:6–8)