This morning during devotions at Elim, we learned about our next Hero of the Faith (Hebrews 11), Haggai. I have been waiting patiently for the opportunity to talk to the students about Haggai because most of the prophets are covering what was going to happen due to God’s judgment with the promise of restoration. Well, finally, we are looking at the restoration. 70 years have passed since Babylon destroyed Jerusalem, and the new rulers, The Persians, have allowed the exiles to return to rebuild; not only that, they are paying for it to happen.

Sounds perfect, doesn’t it? Unfortunately, it wasn’t, which is why Haggai steps in to show the error of the people. The people were again being unfaithful because they focused all of their energy on rebuilding their homes without considering the point of the King of Persia’s decree, to rebuild the temple. The story of rebuilding can be seen in the book of Ezra as these two books should be read together for the whole story. The temple was eventually rebuilt after Haggai inspired the people to do so.

What else is significant? A man named Zerubbabel was placed in charge as the governor of the province and he had a very important ancestor, King David. The previous minor prophets had promised a return to the line of David with his reign lasting forever. If you turn to Matthew 1 and Luke 3, you notice that both Joseph and Mary’s family lines come from Zerubbabel and of course, King David. God was getting Israel ready for what would take place in 500 years, as the Apostle Paul put it, “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:5-7 ESV). ... See MoreSee Less

This morning during devotions at Elim, we learned about our next Hero of the Faith (Hebrews 11), Zephaniah. Unlike the prophets who have a specific pronouncement of God’s judgment on one or two nations, Zephaniah makes a general pronouncement about the sovereignty of God and His judgment on all nations. This judgment on all nations will be followed by restoration, a future hope. One can see how this ties neatly into the New Testament, hinted at in the gospels, but fully realized in the Acts of the Apostles at the beginning of the church age.

“All nations” is a theme of the Bible traced all the way back to Genesis 12 explicitly, but even further back to Genesis 3 to what scholars call, “The First Gospel.” God tells Abraham in Genesis 12:3 that all nations will be blessed through him. The Old Testament is full of examples of how God’s promise to Israel also includes all nations. Jesus commanded the disciples to go into the world and preach the good news to all nations. But when it was time, the disciples, specifically Peter, needed additional prompting as seen in Acts 10. Then once Peter figured it out, he convinced the others that they needed to be preaching the gospel to everyone.

The message is simple: God will judge all nations, but God will offer restoration and hope for those in the “all nations” who repent and honor Him. The message isn’t just for Israel, it is for us too, and we realize this through our faith in Christ. ... See MoreSee Less

Have you ever questioned God? Have you ever wondered why things happen the way they happen? Habakkuk did this when he knew that Judah was going to be judged by people more evil than they were. When the Assyrian Empire fell, those in the kingdom of Judah felt relief that their enemy had been defeated, but Habakkuk knew the bad news. What was to come was much worse than Assyria… Babylon.

If you’re familiar with the Lament poetic genre found throughout the book of Psalms, you will immediately identify with the writing style of Habakkuk who, unlike the other prophets, does not address the people, he addresses God. Can a good God exist with so much evil and suffering in the world? The book opens with Habakkuk and God having a bit of a “back and forth” with the prophet complaining about the corrupt leadership and injustices taking place and God responds that He will be using the armies of Babylon to deal with the corrupt leaders and the neglect of the Torah. Habakkuk cannot believe this because Babylon is more corrupt and evil than they are, but God retorts that He will also deal with Babylon in a similar fashion.

Habakkuk is baffled as to why God would use corrupt people to do His will. Aren’t we all corrupt and in need of a savior though? God explains to Habakkuk that corruption and revenge bring corruption and revenge thus creating a continuous cycle of sin and death. God adds something that the Apostle Paul quotes twice, “The righteous will live by faith” (2:4). This verse changed the great reformer Martin Luther, who had been taught that we live through works, though we are actually saved by faith. Much like David in the Lament Psalms, Habakkuk comes around in the end to recognize the omnipotence and sovereignty of God. No matter how difficult the circumstances and how far away God seems, God is in control and He is near. ... See MoreSee Less

This morning we took a look at our next Hero of the Faith, Nahum, who brought another message for Nineveh 150 years after Jonah. There was a big difference in the outcomes because, with Jonah, there was repentance, but with Nahum, their time had run out. In 612 B.C. the siege of Nineveh began and it lasted throughout the summer. Babylon and her allies defeated and sacked Nineveh after a three-month siege and seven years later, the mighty Assyrian Empire was no more. Nineveh, as Nahum said in his message, vanished from history. Nineveh was destroyed, dismantled, and forgotten as the city vanished beneath the dirt as a ruin. It wasn’t until the 1840s that the world saw Nineveh again when discovered by archaeologists.

God’s message is good news, and as Nahum (1:15) describes, “Behold, upon the mountains, the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace!” In discussing the preaching of the gospel, Paul wrote in Romans 10:15, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” God’s ultimate message, the good news, that Christ was crucified for our sins, was raised on the third day, and now sits at the right hand of God the Father, is good for those who believe. For those who do not believe, the message declares judgment. “So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,’ and ‘A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense’” (I Peter 2:7-8). The fact that we are saved if we confess Jesus as Lord and believe that God raised him from the dead is indeed good news (Romans 10:9).

(Pictured: the gates of Nineveh near the modern city of Mosul, Iraq) ... See MoreSee Less

Last week at Elim during our devotions we covered the ministry of the prophet Jonah. It is a story that many know and many can likely recite without much prompting. Jonah, an established prophet at the time, was tasked with taking a message to Nineveh, one of the capital cities of the Assyrian Empire. The message was simple: God was going to destroy them because of their sin.

The Assyrians were hated and feared by those in Israel. The Assyrian Empire, which would one day include Israel, was now on the northern border, and they were known for their fierce cruelty. I am sure Jonah was pleased to know that God was ready to dispense judgment but he was not pleased that he had to carry the message, 1) because this was very risky and 2) there is a chance they will repent and God would change His mind. So he decided to go in the opposite direction. Instead of going 500 miles to the east, Jonah hopped on a boat to take him all the way to Spain. Not far from land, God intervened with a terrible storm, Jonah jumped overboard, and was swallowed by a fish where he remained for three days until he repented, then he was vomited up on the coast. He finally obeyed and went to Nineveh.

Jonah gave the message, left the city, and waited for the fireworks. Nothing happened because the people repented. Several hundred years later, several Pharisees were taunting Jesus and asked for him to give a sign and they would believe. Jesus replied that they were wicked and said the only sign they would receive was the sign of Jonah; like Jonah being in the fish, he would be in the earth, but for only three days. Jesus also included that the people of Nineveh who repented will judge them for their wickedness. Just like all other books in the Old Testament, Jonah points us to Christ and Jonah is himself a type of Christ, though imperfect, Jonah pointed his audience to things to come in the life of Jesus leading to our salvation. God’s wrath was satisfied. ... See MoreSee Less