Showing posts with label Old Testament. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Old Testament. Show all posts

Sunday

Reading Through the Bible - NAHUM








Some Books of the bible are very short and some are very long but this one is one of the shortest.








NAHUM  -  OLD TESTAMENT  -  PROPHECY

34th book of the OT 
34th book of the Bible



It starts with the Greatness of God 







and continues with the Goodness of God.







It is always good to be reminded of the attributes of God. 





What is it?

The Book of Nahum is one of the Minor Prophets in the Old Testament which means it is Prophecy.



How Long is it?

It has 3 chapters.



When was it Written?

It is generally thought to have been written in 650 BC



Who Wrote it?

Nahum

The second part of the very first verse tells us who Nahum was

"The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite."

Presumably this word "Elkoshite" refers to his birthplace or homeplace. 


Bible Gateway tells us the following

"It prob. refers to a place, but if so, the place is unknown."




Who was it about?

It was written about the people of Ninevah as we see in
 chapter 2 verse 8:

 "Though Nineveh of old was like a pool of water,
Now they flee away."






Why was it Written? 

It was written to tell of God's judgement on Ninevah the capital of Assyria.  
The same city that Jonah had been sent to and the people repented but later they had gone back to their old ways. 


The Overview Bible  tells us the following

"Nahum foretells of God’s judgment on Nineveh, the capital of Assyria."

which is stated in the first part of the first verse 



Teach Sunday School  tells us the following

"... almost exclusively focuses on God's pending judgement against Ninevah .....the nation that had invaded and destroyed the Northern Kingdom of Israel nearly a hundred years earlier."





What structure does this book take?


The Overview Bible  gives us a quick outline

  1. The Lord: Nineveh’s vengeful enemy (Nah 1)
  2. The siege of Nineveh (Nah 2)
  3. The inevitable judgment of God (Nah 3)



What is important to take away from this book?
 

The view of the nature of God in chapter 1 v 3








What other books of the Bible have something in common to Nahum?

  • Jonah also prophesied about Nineveh
  • Obadiah was also written to a foreign country





How does it end?


With a direct warning to the King of Assyria in chapter 3 v 18

 "Your shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria;
Your nobles rest in the dust.
Your people are scattered on the mountains,
And no one gathers them.




OTHER BOOKS OF THE BIBLE ARE ADDED REGULARLY AND AN UPDATED LIST CAN BE FOUND AT OUR READING THE BIBLE PAGE 





Reading Through the Bible - JOEL









Some Books of the bible are very short and some are very long but this one is one of the shortest.








JOEL  -  OLD TESTAMENT  -  PROPHECY

29th book of the OT 
29th book of the Bible



It starts with a straight announcement in the first verse stating that it is the word of the Lord through Joel. 


So in other words  "take heed"  or   "pay attention".





What is it?

The Book of Joel is one of the Minor Prophets in the Old Testament which means it is Prophecy.



How Long is it?

It has 3 chapters.




Who Wrote it?

Joel

The first verse tells us who Joel was

"The word of the Lord that came to Joel the son of Pethuel"

 

He was the son of someone called Pethuel but it gives us no indication who Pethuel was.


The Overview Bible  tells us the following

"Joel is the second minor prophet, who ministered to the Southern Kingdom of Judah. We don’t know much about him, and we don’t know much about how his message was received."





When was it Written?

It is difficult to get a true timeframe for this book as there is very little information in it about Joel.




Who was it Written to?

Nothing is mentioned about the people Joel was prophesying to in the whole of the first 2 chapters.

We see in some verses in chapter 3 that it was to the people of Judah.

Teach Sunday School  tells us the following

"The problem dating the book of Joel comes through the fact that the prophet has very little to say about himself.  Many of the prophets name the kings under which they were serving, but Joel does not"




What destructive creature dominates the first part of this book?


The locust.





Why was it Written? 

It was written because God want to send a distinct message to the people.

Verse 13 of chapter 2 tells us God wanted the people to repent



  

The Overview Bible  tells us the following

"Joel explains to the people what the Lord wants from them: repentance. The Lord would soon have His day, both with Judah and the whole world. Joel’s message has two strong points:
  • God is judging Judah, but He will bless and restore them again when they repent.
  • God will judge all the nations on Judah’s behalf."


Teach Sunday School  tells us the following

"Joel prophesied about destruction ............  He also prophsied about the Day of the Lord .......... and therefore some of his prophecies remain futuristic."

 


What does Joel state that is also good news?

The people can be glad because God has done marvelous things as this verse tells us.







The Overview Bible  tells us the following


God disciplines His people, but He also defends them. Joel says that although Judah is under God’s wrath right now, in the future holds many exciting things for the people of God:

  • The Lord will pour out His Spirit on all mankind.
  • Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be delivered.
  • The Lord will avenge Judah of her enemies.
  • Judah will again become a land of plenty.



What structure does this book take?

Chapter 1:   
  •  Locusts
Chapter 2: 
  •  Day of the Lord.
  •  Promised Deliverance
  •  Promise of the Spirit
Chapter 3:
  •  Judgement of the Nations
  •  Blessing of Judah


The Overview Bible  gives us a quick outline

  • God judges Judah (Joel 1–2)
    1. God sends a plague of locusts on Judah (Joel 1:1–2:11)
    2. God calls Judah to repent (Joel 2:12–17)
    3. God promises to restore Judah from the plague (Joel 2:18–27)
  • God judges the nations (Joel 2:28–3:21)
    1. God promises to pour out His Spirit on all mankind (Joel 2:28–29)
    2. God provides opportunity to repent before the day of the Lord (Joel 2:30–32)
    3. God judges the nations on behalf of Judah (Joel 3)







OTHER BOOKS OF THE BIBLE ARE ADDED REGULARLY AND AN UPDATED LIST CAN BE FOUND AT OUR READING THE BIBLE PAGE 












Reading Through the Bible - HABAKKUK









Some Books of the Bible are very short and this is one of the shortest. 









HABAKKUK  -  OLD TESTAMENT  -  PROPHECY 

35th book of the OT 
35th book of the Bible




What is it?

The Book of Habakkuk is one of the Minor Prophets in the Old Testament.





Who Wrote it?

The Prophet Habakkuk  



How does it start?

It starts with a question from the prophet Habakkuk to God ch. 1 v.2-4    

Haggai is crying out to God about justice





How Long is it?

It has only 3 chapters.




What does it contain?

It covers
  •  2 questions from Habakkuk to God and God's reply,
  •  a prayer by Habakkuk
  •  God's comparison between the proud and the just in ch. 2v4



  •  God's proclamation on the wicked
but even through the judgement of the wicked there is always hope for the world.







When was it written?

It covers the period of 615 - 605 BC.

Prophecies come true in the period 608 - 598 BC




Why was it written?

It is to encourage people to turn to God and rely on Him to do what is right though prayer and praise.



The Overview Bible  tells us the following

"Habakkuk pleads with God to stop the injustice and violence in Judah, but is surprised to find that God will use the even more violent Babylonians to do so."

 

Teach Sunday School  tells us the following

"The Prophecy is in response to heartfelt prayer and has been an encouragement to people to cry out in times of trouble."





What format does this book take?


The Overview Bible  tells us the following

  1. Habakkuk asks when God will judge Judah (Hab 1:1–4)
  2. God will judge Judah with the Chaldeans (Hab 1:5–11)
  3. Habakkuk asks why God would use the wicked Chaleans (Hab 1:12–17)
  4. God pronounces judgment on the Chaldeans (Hab 2)
  5. Habakkuk responds with a song of worship (Hab 3)




How does it end?


With a Hymn of Faith in ch. 3 v 17-19
where we get the very well known passage acknowledging that we can trust God through everything.















OTHER BOOKS OF THE BIBLE ARE ADDED REGULARLY AND AN UPDATED LIST CAN BE FOUND AT OUR READING THE BIBLE PAGE 






 


Reading Through The Bible - HAGGAI









Some of the Books of the bible are very short and this is one is the second shortest in the Old Testament.    (Shortest is Obadiah)









HAGGAI  -  OLD TESTAMENT  -  PROPHECY 

37th book of the NT 
37th book of the Bible




What is it?

The Book of Haggai is one of the Minor Prophets in the Old Testament.




Who was it written to?

It was spoken to the governor of Judah and the High Priest as mentioned in verse 1.





Who wrote it?

The prophet Haggai spoke it 



How Long is it?

It has only 2 chapters and only 38 verses.




When was it written?

It covers the period of 520 BC.

We know this because it specifically mentions when in the very first verse by referring to the reign of King Darius 

"In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest," 

This book is also linked to the Book of Ezra ch.1-6




Why was it written?

God had a specific message for the leaders & the people to tell them to continue with the restoration of the Temple because they had put rebuilding of their own homes first and then didn't bother about the temple.


He wanted to get their attention for them to "consider their ways" and to make sure they took it seriously he said it at the start of His Word to them in ch.1 v 5 and then repeated himself 2 verses later.





Then when He had their attention in verse 8 God told them:

" ....build the house (temple); and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified,  saith the Lord."




The Overview Bible  tells us the following

"The people have abandoned the work of restoring God’s temple in Jerusalem, and so Haggai takes them to task."

 

Teach Sunday School  tells us the following

"Haggai's messages are simple and straightforward.  God tells the people through Haggai to rebuild the temple first.  It would keep them from falling back into errors that had caused the great exile."




What was the result of the message?


The leaders and people listened and took the words to heart v.12 and took action v.14 and they started to rebuild the temple.

The Lord spoke again and again through Haggai in ch. 2 where He spoke of the nations that He would bring to the temple in the future, that He would fill it with glory and that this latter glory would be greater than the former glory. 





What format does this book take?


The Overview Bible  tells us the following

  1. God calls the people to complete the temple (Hag 1:1–11)
  2. The people obey (Hag 1:12–15)
  3. God responds with encouragement and blessing (Hag 2)

My Pastor tells us the following  (see his Bible Study video on Haggai)

The name Haggai means festive so it is something to get excited about.

  1. God challenges the people and they obey Him (Hag 1:1–15)
  2. God deals with the shattered dreams of the people (Hag 2:1–9)
  3. Haggai calls them to a place of  (Hag 2:10–19)
  4. The Future Hope of the Kingdom (Hag 2:20–23)





How does it end?


With encouragement, a personal word to Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, saying that God had chosen him.










OTHER BOOKS OF THE BIBLE ARE ADDED REGULARLY AND AN UPDATED LIST CAN BE FOUND AT OUR READING THE BIBLE PAGE