The Second Missionary Journey

Acts 15:36-18:22

            One of the saddest stories in the New Testament is tucked at the end of Acts 15. Paul and Barnabas want to check on the churches they established in Asia Minor. Barnabas wanted to bring his nephew John Mark, who had abandoned the original mission, and Paul adamantly and obstinately refused. They were at such loggerheads that they broke up. (What’s ironic is that years later, Paul wants Mark to join him, because Mark is helpful to Paul; 2 Timothy 4:11). Psalm 133:1 exclaims, “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!” and Paul himself will come to realize how important unity is to the witness of the church. I wonder how things might have gone had hot-headed Paul remained in partnership with the older, wiser Barnabas!

            That’s a question we cannot answer, but Paul set off to visit the churches in Asia Minor by a land route. Paul wanted to move on and open new churches, but the Holy Spirit prevented it. Maybe the Holy Spirit used something dramatic like a vision or dream; maybe it was conditions—a flooded river, news of brigands on the highway. However He did it, He eventually directed them across the Aegean Sea to Greece.

            In Greece, Paul had several significant experiences. In Philippi, a Roman colony (more about that when we read Philippians), there was apparently no Jewish synagogue, so we meet Lydia, a God-fearing Gentile. Later we meet an unnamed Romans jailer. In both cases, they are baptized along with their whole households. Two points here: Baptism begins at the beginning of the life of faith; it is the sacrament of initiation. Therefore it assumes a lifetime of following Jesus. Second, in the practice of baptizing whole households we are led to consider that that includes the children, too. So, perhaps a hint at infant baptism.

            Chapter 17 finds Paul founding a church in Thessalonica and being chased out by jealous Jews. The church remained, though, and Paul wrote two of his 13 letters to them to help them who had had their teacher ripped away too early. In Berea Paul found a warmer reception, and the Jews of the synagogue examined the Scriptures to see if what Paul said was correct, but trouble followed him form Thessalonica and off he went again.

            Paul’s time in Athens, the philosophical center of the world, forced him to work differently. His work attracted those philosophers, who wanted a well-reasoned account of his faith. Paul’s presentation on Mars Hill begins with their own religiosity and offers that the one god they don’t really know is indeed the one true God. Interestingly, his account leads from God as Creation right to the resurrection of Jesus, a point that was controversial in Greek philosophy.

            Chapter 18 brings Paul to Corinth (notice that the relationships and churches Paul formed on this journey account for more than half of his letters: 1 and 2 Corinthians, Philippians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy). Paul stayed there for a year and half. Imagine how much more thoroughly he trained the Corinthians than he had been able to train the Thessalonians!

            In many ways, this second missionary journey was the central time of Paul’s ministry.

The Jerusalem Council

Acts 15

            The question of how a Gentile could become a Christian dominated the early church. Strict Jewish Christians insisted on circumcision (cf. Galatians). (The issue also shapes Romans and Ephesians. It’s in Colossians, too.) This may seem like a non-issue to us, because, of course, we are Gentile believers, and this question was solved in the first century.

            The Jerusalem Council of Acts 15 is one of the most prominent efforts at this resolution. There was “sharp dispute and debate” that resulted in a gathering in Jerusalem, still the emotional center of the church. One of the things that is interesting to me is that because this was ultimately a theological issue, it was heard mainly by the apostles and elders. Doctrine is never up for a vote! Peter tells about his experience with Cornelius from chapter 10; Paul and Barnabas relate their activity and “what God had done among the Gentiles.” No one could question that the Lord had blessed the inclusion of the Gentiles!

            James (the brother of Jesus, not the apostle, who had been executed by Herod in 12:2) announced as much. However, at the same time he said, “Let’s not make it difficult,” he added several stipulations. The best way to understand the letter is that the apostles and elders in the mother church were asking Gentile converts to be careful of those practices that were common among Gentiles but particularly offensive to Jews. That the prohibitions were not permanent or draconian is seen in Paul’s later discussion of eating meat sacrificed to idols in 1 Corinthians 8-9, where he takes the same line: “It’s probably nothing, but make sure you don’t give unnecessary offense.”

Paul’s First Missionary Journey

Acts 13-14

            We refer to the events of Acts 13-14 as Paul’s first missionary journey, but that’s a bit of a misnomer for two reasons. First, Barnabas is a full partner in the work; frankly, he’s the senior partner in the work. Second, Paul didn’t go of his own volition. The church in Antioch sent him. More importantly, the Holy Spirit sent them (13:2, 4). It’s important to recognize the Holy Spirit’s role here and in our own work. Sometimes, the Holy Spirit works in hidden ways, and His direction is hard to see. Consider the calling of a pastor. There can be a lot of human maneuvering. Sometimes men angle to be considered; sometimes congregations argue and fight and disagree; sometimes the minority has it in their head to oppose the incoming pastor because he wasn’t their candidate; sometimes the incoming pastor isn’t anything like how he portrayed himself Yet, in all of that, in all of the church’s work, in her success and in her failures, the Holy Spirit guides and directs His church.

            A second thing that stands out is the shifting context. We are no longer in a familiar Jewish context. We are entering the world of the Gentiles. Jewish beliefs still loom large as Paul and Barnabas almost always begin in the synagogue, but Luke portrays that their message is received best by God-fearing Gentiles, a semi-technical term for Gentiles who were attracted to Judaism, but probably hadn’t done everything (especially circumcision!) to fully convert. One of the hints at this changing context is shifting names. In Paphos, Paul and Barnabas encounter a Jewish sorcerer named Bar-Jesus, but he is more commonly known by a Greek name, Elymas. Saul himself begins to be identified as Paul (13:9), his Roman name. (We will find out later that Paul was a Roman citizen, which standing would have been to his advantage in that world.)

            Related, but third, being in a predominantly Gentile culture means that the apostles have to learn new strategies to share the faith. In Pisidian Antioch we see them making a typical presentation to a Jewish crowd (which gets them thrown out of the city—Jewish opposition really ramps up in the second half of Acts). But at Lystra, in a thoroughly pagan context, Paul and Barnabas are mistaken for Greek gods, and their approach to sharing the faith has to change.

In Jerusalem and in Judea and Samaria

Acts 6-12

            Lest we think that everything was perfect in the earliest church, Luke sprinkles in several stories of conflict. In chapter 5, we read about the dishonesty of spotlight-seeking Ananias and Sapphira. In chapter 6, we read about a squabble in the church’s social ministry. Several things stand out. First, as I’ve already noted, prejudices exist. Second, the apostles don’t want the day-to-day responsibility for it. Third, in its freedom, the church creates a whole new order, commonly called the diaconate. The word deacon comes literally from the Greek word for servant. Deacons are not what we would call an ordained ministry, but they are a recognized order in the church (Philippians 1:1). While they seem to have been predominantly men (1 Timothy 3:8-10), women were also counted among them (Romans 16:1): in a similar way, our church body trains woman for service in an order called deaconesses.

            Stephen was one of the deacons, although he was certainly qualified to be what the New Testament calls an overseer, what we would call a pastor. He was full of grace, power, and wisdom. Opposition to Stephen in particular rose up in the Synagogue of the Freedmen. Perhaps Stephen was himself a former slave who had been raised in the Jewish Diaspora. Whatever the circumstances, Stephen acquitted himself well, reciting the history of Israel from Abraham to Moses. His argument was, at least in part, that the story of salvation included people who were from outside the narrow boundaries Stephen’s contemporaries had defined: he suggests that Abraham, Joseph, and Moses might not have made the cut by their rules. But when he says that his Jewish contemporaries did not actually follow the law, he went too far, and he was stoned to death.

            In chapter 8, the church finally moves out of Jerusalem, and it does it because of the great persecution that broke out. A number of things to note. First, the apostles stayed behind, and my study Bible suggests that it was primarily the Hellenistic Jewish Christians who were the object of the violence. That fits. In that day, Judaism was very narrowly defined by its most conservative practitioners, namely, the Pharisees. A Greek Jew would have been something that they tolerated without loving, but all their worst suspicions would have been confirmed if a Greek Jew started to follow Jesus! You can imagine young Saul saying, “See! I knew they couldn’t be trusted!” Second, the early church had a saying, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” When Tertullian said that two hundred years after the events of Acts, he meant that the more the Romans persecuted the Christians, the more people came to believe. In this context, persecution gives the impetus for taking the next step: to Judea and Samaria (Acts 1:8).

            So, we read about Philip (not the apostle, but the deacon) who went literally to a city in Samaria and then, at the Spirit’s prompting, to the road to Gaza, an historically Philistine city, where he witnessed to an Ethiopian eunuch. I love the question the eunuch asks. Philip wonders if he understands the Scriptures, and eunuch wonders how he could understand without someone to explain it. We confess that the Bible is clear, that it’s main message of salvation is obvious. That does not mean the Bible is simple. There are some difficult things, and, as we’ve discovered in Today’s Light, the thread of the story is easy to lose in the details—of Moses’ law, of the lists of names, of the obscure prophets. So, there is always a place for a man in my position, whose calling is in part to explain the Scriptures to God’s people, lest they misunderstand and go astray.

            In chapter 9, Luke gives a preview of the second half of the story by introducing Saul’s conversion. I can just imagine the tailspin that put young Saul into! Paul says in Galatians that he spent 3 years thinking about it (Galatians 1:18). We’ll pick up his story in chapter 13.

            Chapters 10 and 11 tells us about Peter’s long road to accepting that Gentiles could really become followers of the Way in the story of Cornelius. Peter demonstrates himself a good Jew by refusing—even in a dream!—to eat unclean animals. He is admonished the Lord not to call unclean what the Lord has made clean. Then, he summoned to the house of a Roman centurion! There he is surprised when his testimony is confirmed by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in a manner reminiscent of Pentecost. Then, Peter has to explain himself to the church in Jerusalem.

            It’s hard for us to fully comprehend the prejudice that existed in 1^st century Judaism against the Gentiles, and because the first believers were all faithful Jews that prejudice afflicted them, too. I’m searching for an analogy, and the best I can come up with is the prejudice that many Christians feel against Muslims. I’d like to think that if a Muslim converted we’d be thrilled, if for no other reason than that it’s a rebuke of Islam. But if we’re honest, there’s a lot of prejudice there that might prevent us from witnessing in the first place.

            The main point of chapter 8-12 is that the church carried the Word beyond Jerusalem into the surrounding region. Chapter 13 will send Paul and Barnabas to the ends of the earth.

            One last note, though, a thing that makes me laugh every time I read it. In chapter 12, an angel springs Peter out of prison (again) and he heads for the house where the church typically meets. A servant named Rhoda opens the door, sees Peter, and leaves him sitting outside! She tries to tell the others, who don’t believer her. And there’s poor Peter, a fugitive, on a dark street, knocking! It’s one of my favorite little stories in Acts!

Strange Stories of the Apostles

Acts 5

            Acts 5 demonstrates the powerful witness the church was giving in Jerusalem and the increasing persecution that accompanied it.

            The first story is the strange story of Ananias and Sapphira. Maybe strange isn’t the right word. How about disturbing? From our perspective, the punishment seems all out of proportion to the crime. Yes, they lied, but they still made a generous gift to the church. That they were both struck dead seems wrong. I’d suggest two things. First, the main point of the story is exactly to demonstrate the power the apostles were exuding. More on that in a minute. Second, I think it demonstrates that our ways of thinking are not always in line with God’s. We think, “What’s the big deal? They were a little dishonest, but they gave most of the money…” I’m reminded, though, of Jesus observing the widow in the temple and declaring that her small gift of two cents was more than all the others because she gave out of her poverty. The Lord is not so interested in the size of the gift so much as the condition of the heart, and Ananias and Sapphira’s hearts weren’t in great condition. They were more interested in the praise that came with their gift than with making an honest gift. The problem is not that they kept some back but that they showed the true state of their hearts by lying about it.

            The power of the apostles shines through in the next section, too. There, people lay their sick out so that Peter’s shadow can cross over them. In Jerusalem at least, the apostles are perceived as more powerful than Jesus had been! No wonder the leaders of Israel wanted to silence them.

            In the story of the apostles’ arrest, notice three things. First, Peter’s assertion, “We must obey God rather than men.” It bears thinking about. Sometimes we act as if that gives us permission to defy all sorts of rules. But the thing is that the rulers had specifically forbidden something the Lord had explicitly commanded. In that case, we’d have no choice but to disobey. But there are many other cases where we submit to the government. A lot more could be said…

            Second, Gamaliel shows exceptional wisdom. If it’s from men, it will fail; if it’s from God, you can’t do anything about it.

            Third, one of the most remarkable statements in the whole book is at the end of the chapter. Having been arrested and beaten, the apostles rejoiced “because they had been counted worthy of suffering for the Name” (5:41). I daresay that’s a pretty remarkable sentiment, and one that we would be hard pressed to emulate! But they loved Jesus so much that to be abused in some small way as he had been—and that because they were testifying of Him—was counted a joy! (See James 1:2-4.)

Healing a Beggar

Acts 3-4

            In today’s reading, Peter and John heal a crippled man. This action draws a crowd and becomes an opportunity to preach about Jesus. As we’d expect, the Jewish leaders don’t appreciate the effort, but the apostles are defiant. Witness and persecution are two main themes of Acts.

            There are a couple of things to highlight in the passage. First, Peter and John understand the miracle not as their own but an extension of the healing ministry of Jesus. They also see it as a promise of a greater gift to be given—times of refreshing, ultimately poured out on the last day at the resurrection. The chief priests were particularly disturbed at this aspect of the apostles’ teaching, namely, the resurrection of the dead (4:2). Why would that be a problem? Strange as it may sound to our ears, in ancient Israel resurrection was considered a revolutionary idea—not in the sense “no one ever thought of that before,” but in the sense that it was associated with revolutionaries who sought the overthrow of the occupying powers. So, it was considered subversive, dangerous.

            The last thing to notice is Peter’s bold declaration about Jesus: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” It’s an exclusive claim very similar to Yahweh’s in the Old Testament, that He would not share His glory with another. So, Jesus claims to be the exclusive way to salvation.

Pentecost

Acts 2

            In Acts 2, the early church is empowered to engage the mission of God through the gift of the Holy Spirit. There are a lot of things we could talk about, but let’s just highlight the gift of different languages, miraculously given. That day, people from all over the world were gathered in Jerusalem, and the earliest believers could tell them all about Jesus. In the second half of the book, they were sent to the ends of the earth. Again, the message is clear: the Gospel is for all people.

            The end of Peter’s sermon is of particular significance for Lutherans. Peter calls the crowd to repent (a plural verb; you, as a group, repent). It seems that Peter’s call for repentance isn’t exactly what we usually think of as repentance, which is personal sorrow over and turning away from sin. The plural seems to indicate that Peter is calling collective Israel to turn and follow the One who is really their Messiah. On the other hand, the call to be baptized is singular. The point is that opponents of infant baptism will often appeal to this passage as a way of saying that some kind of prior, self-conscious repentance is necessary before someone can be baptized. But the shift from plural to singular undermines that position. Further, the promise in verse 39, that the promise is for them and for their children, is the closest we come to an outright command to baptize babies. Certainly it tells us that babies are meant to be included in God’s saving works.

Between Jesus and the Holy Spirit

Acts 1

            The Book of Acts, written by Luke as a sequel to his Gospel (1:1), is the story of the Church’s earliest days. It recounts some of their troubles—doctrinal disagreements, interpersonal inequities, personal failures—so that we never fall into the trap of dreaming of some bygone golden age. But it is not primarily a story about their struggles; it is primarily the story of how the Church—sinful and disadvantaged as it was—engaged the mission that the Lord had given them.

            That work begins in chapter 1, when Jesus declares them His witnesses. The book is structured around that command. They are to testify of Him in Jerusalem (chapters 2-7), in all the surrounding regions of Judea and Samaria (chapters 8-12), and to the ends of the earth (chapters 13-28). Interestingly, the book ends with Paul in Rome. That is a nifty flipping of expectations. Rome considered itself the center of the world, where the most important men enacted the most important events in history, but as far as the Gospel is concerned the most important person (Jesus) did the most important thing (dying and rising) in Jerusalem, making that dusty, remote city the true center of the world.

            Also in chapter 1, we read about the election of Judas’ replacement, a man name Matthias. The significance here is that the Church is true heir of Israel, so there must be 12 apostles, just as their were 12 tribes. This idea of the true Israel resounds into the second half of the book, where Paul becomes an apostle, specifically an apostle to the Gentiles, because the promises of God are for all people.

Another Layer to the Christmas Story

Luke 2

            Luke 2 contains some of the most familiar stories in all the Gospels, especially the first 20 verses, which are the Christmas story. One of the issues with that kind of familiarity are that we stop hearing everything the story has to say. As an example, we aren’t always able to hear the anti-imperial rhetoric in the story, the challenge to the powers that dominate this fallen age of the world. Consider that the birth of Caesar Augustus was considered a day of ‘good news for the world.’ ‘Savior’ and ‘Lord,’ were likewise associated with Caesar. And peace, well, Caesar brought peace, the Pax Romana, to the world. So, here is the apparatus of world domination, enforced by the might of the Roman legions, opposed by another king, born in poverty, in a backwater town, who by the end of the Gospel will reign from a cross and create peace not by His victory but by His death. Caesar can make his claims, but Jesus is the one who is truly the Savior, who brings peace.

Infancy Narrative

Luke 1

            Luke is often described as the Gospel for the Gentiles, and there is sense in which that is true. The book is addressed to Theophilos, a Gentile name if there ever was one. (It’s a Greek word which mean lover of God.)

            On the other hand, Luke throws us right into the deep end of the Old Testament. We are instantly supposed to understand about priests and the temple and sacrifices. Zechariah and Elizabeth are described in a way that calls Abraham and Elizabeth to mind. Maybe more specifically, it calls to mind Manoah and his wife, Samson’s parents, because John will also share characteristics of being a lifelong Nazirite.

            There is also the assumption that we will understand Israel’s national hopes, hopes which took shape in the era between the Testaments. For example, in 1:13 the angel announces that Zechariah’s prayers have been heard. Now, it is apparent that Zechariah has not been praying for a child; he has given that up as no longer a possibility—hence his doubt at the angel saying Elizabeth would conceive. No, what Zechariah and the people outside are praying for is ‘the redemption of Israel’ (2:25). Israelites in this period understood such redemption in terms of, say, Isaiah 60:3 and the nations streaming to Israel. They were looking for the throwing off of the yoke of foreign powers and becoming the chief power of the earth themselves. Note this is not some merely human kingdom; they legitimately believed that the Lord would reign in their midst, so there was a spiritual component, too. I’ll have to explain more about that in Bible class on Wednesday.

            The announcement of Jesus’ birth likewise drips with Old Testament language—of David and his kingdom (Ps. 2; 1 Sam. 7). But with Jesus things are different. The Lord regularly blessed barren woman with children (Sarah, Samson’s mom, Hannah), but that a virgin would conceive without the help of a man—now that’s new ground! The structure of chapters 1 and 2 make this point again and again: John is extraordinary, a miraculous child with a distinct purpose; but Jesus is even more extraordinary, more miraculous, and with a greater purpose. John is forerunner; Jesus is gift. Jesus puts it this way, “I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he” (Luke 7:28). John is the end of the Old Testament prophets, but Jesus is their fulfillment.

Response to a Question

Zechariah 7-8

            In Zechariah 7:1-3, a delegation from one of the towns comes to Jerusalem to inquire of the Lord whether they should still fast in the fifth month as a remembrance of the destruction of Jerusalem. The Lord’s lengthy answer begins by reminding them that ritual for ritual’s sake is not good. If the ritual inspires a holier life, a life of ‘administering justice and showing mercy and compassion,’ then the ritual is having its proper effect. Then, he reminds them of His promise, that the returnees will prosper (8:3-8), and He calls them to finish the temple (8:9ff.). So, again, the prophecy is on familiar themes: finish the work of the temple, love your God, love your neighbor.

The Rest of the Night Visions

Zechariah 3-6

            Zechariah 1:8-6:15 contains a series of visions that Zechariah saw, presumably on the same night (February 15, 519 BC; 1:7), hence, The Night Visions. I wrote briefly about the first three visions earlier this week. Now for visions four to eight!

            The fourth vision names Satan, standing beside Joshua, the high priest, accusing him, and the Lord rebuking Satan. Not incidentally, Joshua’s robes are filthy (a word which usually has to do with excrement…) Satan’s work has always been to accuse; that’s what the word satan means. It’s not a proper name at all. Sometimes it can simply be translated the prosecutor The accusation here is probably that Joshua, given his uncleanness, is not worthy to be the high priest, which explains the Lord’s response, “I have chosen Jerusalem.” It’s as if the Lord were saying, “Yes, it doesn’t look like much, but it’s what I have chosen.” Ultimately, of course, Jesus puts the great rebuke on Satan by saving humanity in the most ignominious way—dying on a cross. “Now,” as St. Paul says, “there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).

            Vision five shows a lampstand and two olive trees sustaining it. The lampstand was one of the furnishings in the temple, so the rebuilding of the temple is most likely the subject. The two trees are Zerubbabel, the governor, and Joshua, the high priest. Verses 6 and 10 are the keys: the temple will be completed by the Lord’s Spirit, operating through these two men. No one should look at the humble beginnings and be filled with doubt about the Lord’s desires.

            The vision of the flying scroll seems to be a warning to the returned exiles that their ancestors had been exiled at least in part because of the injustice with which they filled the land. Relatedly, the vision of the woman in a basket is a representation of the wickedness of the people being carried away.

            The last vision takes us back to the first. Here Zechariah sees a vision of four chariots, as God’s messengers go out into the world, watching over and keeping tabs on the dangerous world in which the Lord’s small community dwells.

            The last bit of chapter 6 summarizes things well. The point of the visions is very similar to the point of Haggai’s prophecy: the temple will be built; Israel will be restored.

Introducing Zechariah

Zechariah 1-2

            Zechariah locates himself as a contemporary of Haggai, beginning his prophetic work in 520 BC. As Haggai, Zechariah is also concerned about finishing the temple, but he has a more pronounced interest in general spiritual renewal, too.

            One of the things that makes Zechariah challenging to read is that he often works in visions, as in chapter one when he has a vision of a man among the myrtle trees. My study Bible points out that these are names visions, not dreams. This marks Zechariah as very much in the apocalyptic tradition of Ezekiel, in which the Lord grants visions which are to be understood in symbolic ways. Another clue is the prominence of angels in the visions. It seems as if all eight visions in chapters 1-6 in a single night.

            The visions themselves can be difficult. First, we have a rider on a red horse among the myrtle. I’ve read that the imagery portrays an armed warrior emerging from the portal between heaven and earth, the idea being that the Lord Himself is investigating the condition of Israel in regard to her enemies. This is corroborated by the second vision of horns: the nations have gone too far. They were to be the agents of the Lord’s discipline on Israel, but they have done more than they ought and their power (the horns) is now judged.

            The third vision (2:1-13) uses the image of a measuring line, but flips it from the way that Ezekiel used it. Here it is not a warning of impending judgment; rather it is transformed into a vision of abundance. The gist of the angel’s message is, “Forget the walls! The city will be too big and too glorious!” Compare Zechariah 2 against Revelation 21-22.

Give Careful Thought

Haggai

            Haggai is a prophet in the post-exilic period. He is actually very specific about his ministry. He prophesies over 4-month period in 520 BC. The exiles of Judah were allowed to return to Jerusalem in 538 BC. By 536 BC, they had returned and laid the foundations for a new temple. Then, the work stalled, initially from opposition from neighboring nations, who framed the Jewish returnees as disloyal to Persia. By the time of Haggai, the delay seems to have been caused by the returnees’ own distraction. Haggai points out: they’ve had plenty of time to build their own houses!

            A feature of Haggai’s message that stood out to me was the repeated call, “Give careful thought…” Four times in two chapters. It seems to suggest that Israel knows better and if they just thought about it a little they would come to see the error of their ways. In my line of work, that resonates. I often feel like I don’t say anything particularly new and insightful in a sermon; preaching is really a practice in reminding God’s people what they already know (or already should know). In a famous passage in Galatians 5, St. Paul gives an extensive list of the works of the flesh, and as he often does in those sorts of contexts, the implication is, “You know this already; you know to avoid this.” Then he lists the nine fruits of the Spirit, and he (almost sarcastically) says, “Against such things there is no law,” as if to say, “Come on. This is obvious.”

            Intentionality is a buzzword these days. Even my fitness tracker reminds me to be mindful. It’s hardly a new idea. 2500 years ago, Haggai reminded God’s people, “Give careful attention to your faith.”

Zephaniah

Zephaniah

            Zephaniah identifies himself as a descendant of Hezekiah, part of the nobility of Judah. Isn’t it interesting the various backgrounds from which the Lord calls His messengers—from noble Zephaniah to common Amos, the shepherd and fig farmer!

            Zephaniah also places himself during the reign of Josiah (640-609 BC). My study Bible suggests a date in the 620s, noting that a Scythian invasion (known from history but not in the Bible) as the occasion. If that’s correct, Zephaniah would have been a contemporary of the young Jeremiah.

            Like several of the prophets, Zephaniah’s main theme is the impending judgment of the Lord. If Zephaniah stands out from that pack, it may be in the sweeping way he announces that judgment. He says that in addition to judgment on human wickedness, the non-sentient creation will also be caught up in it (1:3). Most famous is his statement in 1:15, famously embodied in the Requiem Mass. The requiem mass was the medieval name for the service sung at the death of a Christian. It’s been famously set to music by a number of great composers, but if you were to look up the Sequence in Mozart’s requiem, you might well recognize it. “A day of wrath, a day of ashes.” In our hymnal, the judgment is toned down, but the song is adapted in hymn #508, “The Day is Surely Drawing Near.”

            Zephaniah does not get around to good news until chapter 3, where he prophesies the purification of the people of Judah and their return from exile, an event still at least a decade in the future. For all of His frustration with His people, He remains faithful to His promises. Salvation would come from the people of Israel, and that means that a remnant must remain until Jesus arrives.

Habakkuk’s Prayer

Habakkuk 3

            What do you do when you just don’t understand what the Lord is up to? You pray.

            Habakkuk’s prayer begins with praise, that is, the recitation of the Lord’s saving acts. Technically speaking, the only portion of Habakkuk’s prayer that is truly prayer is verse 2, where the prophet asks the Lord to repeat His intervention in terms similar to the Exodus. Most of the chapter (verses 3-15) is tied up in reciting how the Lord saved Israel in the past. While the imagery varies, it remains clear the prophet is alluding to the way the Lord delivered Israel from Egypt. (The language of plagues and the sea strengthens that connection.) Finally, Habakkuk accepts the answer to his prayer, deciding to wait patiently for the God who had so wondrously delivered Israel in the past to do the same in his day.

            I maintain that prayer and praise are two different modes of speech. They are related, but they are different. Praise forms the basis for prayer. As we recount the Lord’s mighty deeds, as we preach the Gospel to ourselves, especially that the Lord has saved us through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus, we are reminded why this God is a God we can count on, from whom we can ask. After all, “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things” (Rom. 8:32)? Prayer, then, technically, is the request. Notice that Habakkuk’s confidence is not in his prayer, but in His God who has saved in the past.

Excuse Me?

Habakkuk 1-2

            Poor Habakkuk. He observes and bemoans the wickedness of Judah (1:2-4), and he gets an answer he neither expected nor wanted: the Lord will send the Babylonians as the agents of His divine judgment (1:5-11). Habakkuk can’t believe it! In 1:12-2:1, the prophet objects, “They’re worse than us!” “Your eyes are too pure to look on evil!” The Lord’s answer (2:2-20) demonstrates that He knows the weakness of His instrument, Babylon’s arrogance. The Lord, reigning from His holy temple, will sort things out, including judgment on Babylon.

Good News for Who?

Nahum 1-3

            We sure have seen the nations threatened and condemned—a lot!—in the prophets. Here the victim is Nineveh. (Whatever positive effect Jonah had didn’t last very long!)

            It’s hard to keep on reading these prophecies of judgment. The question is: is this good news or bad news? And the answer is: are you a Ninevite or an Israelite? When the nations are being judged, it is very bad news for them, and if we assume that we occupy the role of Nineveh here it’s very bad news for us! However, for Israel, the fall of Nineveh is very good news, the destruction of their enemies.

            An important consideration in reading the Old Testament—from Exodus on—is that the nations are cast as the enemies of the people of God. So, when we read about the total destruction of the Canaanites or when we read about the impending doom of Nineveh, we New Testament readers need to think of those two groups in the same way that we think of the defeat of sin, Satan, and death—our races truest enemies. As the Lord defends and protects Israel against her all too human and political enemies, so, too, in the death of Jesus does He defend and protect against our all too demonic enemies.

The Rising Again of Israel

Micah 7

            I wonder if Jesus had Micah 7:6 in mind when He said that He didn’t come to bring peace but a sword? NIV punctuates it like it’s a quote (Matthew 10:34-35). Since the end of Micah 7 prophesies the rising again of Israel, what Jesus had in mind might be that His followers were the true remnant of Israel and that the hallmark of His people would be their loyalty to Jesus.

Counterpoint

Micah 5

            Micah 5:1-9 is the completion of Micah 6:8-13, structurally speaking. It’s easiest to show it graphically:

            A The Lord strengthens a remnant (4:6-7a)

                        B Dominion restored (4:7b-8)

                                    C Zion and her king are humiliated (4:9-10)

                                                D Zion saved from the present crisis (4:11-13)

                                    C’ Zion and her king are humiliated (5:1)

                        B’ Dominion restored (5:2-6)

            A’ The Lord strengthens a remnant (5:7-9)—Source, Robert Chisholm, Handbook of the Prophets, p.422)

The message is that the Lord has plans for Israel: they will be restored to the land. The present trouble, including the failure of her kings and the fall of Jerusalem, fit into that plan. Ultimately, those who oppose God and His people will be destroyed, and God’s purposes will be fulfilled.