IN
THIS ISSUE
|
A YEAR WITH THE MINOR PROPHETS |
Each year at Church
of the Messiah (Xenia, Ohio), a theme is chosen for the congregation's
weekly Bible studies. The new theme begins right after the Feast of Tabernacles
in the fall and continues until the Feast the following fall. This particular
calendar is convenient for us because it lines up with the annual schedule of
Torah readings used in Jewish and Messianic congregations. We have often done
year-long studies of the Pentateuch using such a schedule.
In
2013-2014 we decided to study the Minor Prophets. Although the total number of
chapters we covered adds up to only 67, it was a challenging year for us. For
one thing, these chapters come from twelve different books of the Bible, each
one with a different historical background, setting, structure, and style to
tackle. As soon as we had deciphered one book, it was time to start over with
another one. Moreover, the poetry and imagery of these books are often
difficult to understand, from Hosea's obscure references to the complicated
politics of the final years of the northern Kingdom of Israel, to the puzzling
night visions of Zechariah.
It
was a very rewarding year as well. We learned right away that our group's solid
background in the Pentateuch would be very helpful for understanding the prophets.
In particular, when the prophets predict that Israel would face judgment and
exile in the future, followed by restoration and renewal, they are building on Deuteronomy
28-32. In the article "Treasures Old
and New in Deuteronomy 32" in this issue of Grace and Knowledge,
I discuss how the themes of Deuteronomy 32 are developed by the prophet Hosea.
As
we proceeded through the year, we were delighted to find a number of passages
in the Minor Prophets that connect with the annual biblical festivals. For
example, on the weekend of Pentecost our scheduled chapter was Habakkuk 3,
which just happens to be a traditional synagogue reading for Pentecost! (This
issue of Grace and Knowledge includes a Pentecost sermon
on the book of Habakkuk.) Some of Zechariah's prophecies have close connection to
the themes of the Day of Atonement. At the end of September, shortly before the
Feast of Tabernacles, we found it fitting to consider the Feast of Tabernacles
passage in Zechariah 14.
At
the end of June, Church of the Messiah received a special visit from Dr. Marvin
R. Wilson of Gordon College. Dr. Wilson treated us to a sermon on the
book of Micah, a summary of which appears in this issue.
Our
study also touched on some frequently asked "difficult scripture"
questions. One such question involves the identity of the Zechariah to whom
Jesus refers in Matthew 23:35. (It may well have been the biblical prophet
Zechariah, but there is also another possibility.) I discuss the answer to this
question in an article
in the current issue.
By
the end of the year, I had filled a loose-leaf notebook with notes. Look for
even more on the Minor Prophets in future issues of Grace and Knowledge.
File
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On 29 Feb 2016, 00:35.
