Chris Marshall Resources

Habakkuk was written immediately before the fall of Assyria to the Babylonians.  The theme question of Habakkuk is how could God use wicked nations for His purposes?  He had used the Assyrians to destroy Israel, and now would use Babylon to destroy Assyria and Judah.  As we live in the midst of wickedness, the key is to live by our faith, as Habakkuk tells us in Habakkuk 2:4.  This statement was so powerful, we find it quoted three times in the New Testament.

Habakkuk 1 starts with Habakkuk complaining to the LORD for not answering his cry for mercy and protection.  The LORD answers by saying He’s going to use the Chaldeans or Babylonians as a tool of judgment.  This raises another complaint from Habakkuk who cannot understand how God can forget His people.

Habakkuk 2 ends Habakkuk’s second complaint.  The LORD answers by telling Habakkuk to write the vision on a tablet so large a rider could see it as he rode by.  The LORD tells him no matter how long it takes for the vision to come to wait for it.  Then He tells Habakkuk the righteous shall live by faith. This is the oft-quoted verse, we noted in the introduction.  The LORD goes on to pronounce judgment on the Chaldeans/Babylonians, who were His current “tool” for bringing judgment to other nations.  He condemns them for their ruthlessness toward other nations, and for their insistence on worshiping dead idols rather than the living God.  He reminds them the LORD is in His holy Temple, and to let all the earth be silent before Him.

In Habakkuk 3, Habakkuk offers a prayer to the LORD, and it concludes with one of the strongest statements of faith in the face of adversity ever recorded: ¹⁷Though the fig tree should not blossom,nor fruit be on the vines,the produce of the olive failand the fields yield no food,the flock be cut off from the foldand there be no herd in the stalls,¹⁸yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. ¹⁹GOD, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s;he makes me tread on my high places.Habakkuk 3:17-19 (ESV) As we return to John 5, Jesus encounters a man at the Pool of Bethesda who had been waiting for decades to be healed by entering the pool when it was stirred.  Because he was lame, he could never get there before someone else.  Jesus asked the man what on the surface seems like an uncaring question: “Do you want to be healed?” Because Jesus asked the question, we know it wasn’t uncaring.  He sincerely wanted the man to address the matter of whether he wanted to be healed.  Jesus healed the man, and this raised a great debate between Him and the religious leaders, because He healed the man on the Sabbath.  The debate covered many areas, but at the bottom of it, Jesus contended He was God, and the religious leaders were having none of that.  While we’re only in John 5, we see in John’s gospel as in the others, Jesus engaged the religious leaders early in His ministry in ways that caused them to be determined to eliminate Him.

The prophet Nahum’s message, which we turn to today came about a century after Jonah preached to Nineveh and saw the people repent.  This time the Ninevites would not repent and they and their nation, the Assyrians, would fall.  God had used the Assyrians to judge Israel, the northern Kingdom in 722 BC.  Now, in the early 600’s BC, the Assyrians would fall to the Babylonians.  As we have seen throughout the prophetic writings, the LORD used pagan nations to judge Israel and Judah and one another.  After all, He is the LORD of history.

Nahum 1 tells Nineveh she will fall.  We are reminded the LORD is slow to bring forth judgment, and righteous in His acts, but He will not avoid judging those who do evil, who worship idols.  The idols will be broken, and the people will be brought to account.  The end of chapter one tells Jacob they will rejoice at the good news.  The good news for them is the judgment of the Assyrians, personified by Nineveh.

Nahum 2 continues with more words of judgment for Nineveh, and more words of comfort for Judah.  It might be hard for us to see how the destruction of a city and a nation are “good news” for another, but we can all think of societies throughout history that needed to be stopped, and the world was better off when they were.  Thus, the LORD calls Nineveh to account, and the people of Judah would rejoice.

Nahum 3 concludes with a final pronouncement of judgment against Nineveh and Assyria.  The LORD compares the nation to a prostitute, and “she” will be humiliated in her destruction.  She will be like Egypt who suffered the same fate.  She will be destroyed and scattered.  The LORD’s concern goes far beyond the people of Israel and Judah.  He concerns Himself with all people.  We see that in its fullness when Jesus comes to the earth.  While He carried out His entire ministry in Israel, His death on the cross was for the entire world, and His redemption is available to every person who will receive it.

As we return to John 4, we revisit Jesus’ interaction with the Samaritan woman at the well.  She had been married five times and was living with a man who wasn’t her husband, a life far beyond scandalous in those days.  She belonged to the hated (by the Jews) nation of Samaria, yet Jesus received her, asked for her help, and ultimately offered her and the people of her village redemption.  This shows us the truth of the final statement in the concluding summary of Nahum.  Jesus’ love is for the people of every nation.  His death paid the penalty for every human sin.  His redemption is available to every person who will trust Him personally as the Messiah and receive the new life He came to give!

In Micah 4 we see the image of “The Mountain of the LORD.”  This mountain in Israel will be a place where people from all nations gather to live in a time of peace and prosperity.  The peace will be so profound that nations will pound their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. What a promise!  Then the LORD turns to a promise for the restoration of Zion.  While He reiterates the people will be carried off to Babylon, the future will be a time when they will return and prosper.  As always, the LORD’s mercy supersedes His judgment.

In Micah 5, we read the prophecy of the coming of the Messiah.  It is this prophesy the religious leaders and priests quoted when the Wise Men came to Jerusalem seeking the new-born king of the Jews.  This king will be a shepherd for His people.  This king will bring deliverance for them.  The Assyrians are called out by name for judgment, but all the nations of the earth will be judged for their idolatry and turning away from the LORD.

In Micah 6, the LORD returns to His judgment of Israel.  He reminds them of their corruption.  Then He asks the rhetorical question: What shall we bring before the LORD? He tells us He doesn’t want sacrifices, and then offers this: 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? (Micah 6:8 ESV)   Then He goes on to condemn the people for using corrupt scales and many other actions carried out against the poor.

Micah 7 closes the book with a call to look for the LORD’s salvation.  The images go from hope to judgment, hope to judgment, but as always, the book closes with an affirmation of the LORD’s compassion and mercy.  He will not forget His children forever. In the end He will redeem them, and they will follow Him!

As we return to John 3, we return to the most famous verse in the Bible:  For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.  The verse is the culmination of Jesus’ interaction with a Pharisee named Nicodemus, who came at night to speak with Jesus.  While Nicodemus exchanged pleasantries and affirmations of Jesus’ ministry, Jesus cut to the chase by telling him the only way to eternal life is to be born again.  Nicodemus was confused, thinking Jesus meant a physical rebirth, but Jesus made it clear it is spiritual rebirth we must all experience.  Only then will we experience the eternal life Jesus came to give us.  Jesus offers the analogy of light and darkness to show us only as we live in Him, and in the reborn life of the Holy Spirit, will we live in the light.  The chapter closes with John the Baptist pointing out the necessary ascent of Jesus to the limelight, while he fades into the background.  As Jesus increases, and John decreases the world will focus on the Messiah.  John’s work was simply preparation.

Today we turn to Micah. Micah prophesied during the time when the northern Kingdom (Israel) fell, and when the southern Kingdom (Judah) was living in great prosperity.  Micah spoke against the abuses of the wealthy against the poor.  His writing is divided in three sections and alternates between pronouncements of judgment and the LORD’s restoration (as do most of the prophets).  Micah also tells of a future deliverer who will be born in Bethlehem!

Micah 1 starts with pronouncements of judgment against Samaria (capital of the Northern Kingdom) and Jerusalem.  The pronouncement is more severe for Samaria, as it will be crushed and brought low.  Micah’s words also mention the surrounding nations as being involved in the judgment.  In this chapter the judgment only comes to the gates of Jerusalem, but as we will see, Micah’s pronouncements include more against Judah as well.

Micah 2 offers a general judgment against the wealthy who oppress the poor, while Micah 3 condemns the leaders and prophets, primarily of Judah for their oppression of the poor, and their continual sin against the LORD.  While the judgment includes Israel, in this chapter we’re told that Judah and Jerusalem will be crushed.  Just as the pronouncement had been primarily directed against the northern Kingdom in Micah 1, we find it primarily against the southern Kingdom in chapter 3.

As we return to John 2, we recall Jesus’ first miracle: turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana.  Jesus was reluctant to perform this miracle, because His “time” had not yet come, but He responded in obedience to His mother’s request for help in what was a most awkward social situation.  While the miracle didn’t heal anyone, or remove a demon from anyone, it still demonstrated the Kingdom power of Jesus.  We can say in God’s eternal Kingdom we will experience no lack, so Jesus’ miracle of provision foreshadows that.  John records Jesus cleansing the Temple in Jerusalem as His next act of authority. While the cleansing of the Temple is found in the last week of Jesus’ life in the other three gospels, it is not at all unlikely Jesus did this on more than one occasion, because of the great offense against His Father He found it to be.  In any case, Jesus demonstrated His authority to act on His Father’s behalf in this situation and in so many more throughout His ministry.  As we consider Jesus’ role in our lives, we must always remember He is our first and final authority. What He tells us to do, we must do in the power of His Spirit and what He calls us to avoid, we must avoid.

Jonah is one of the most notable books of the “minor” prophets.  The minor prophets weren’t less important than the “major” prophets, but their writings were much shorter.  Jonah’s story is known the world over, because he is the poster child for being given a task by God, rejecting it for selfish reasons, and then undertaking the task only after God intervenes in his life in a supernatural way.  Jonah’s story adds one final twist in that after he carries out God’s purpose, he is upset God showed mercy to an entire nation of people.  Jonah is the only prophetic book that focuses entirely on the prophet, himself, rather than on a prophetic message to a group of people.

Jonah 1 offers us the background for the book.  The LORD called Jonah to go to Nineveh and preach a message of repentance to the people.  Jonah didn’t want the Ninevites to be saved, so he ran away.  Taking a boat in the opposite direction of Nineveh, Jonah thinks all is well.  But the LORD sent a storm and the boat on which Jonah was a passenger was in danger of being destroyed.  Jonah told the crew it was his fault and they had to throw him overboard.  The crew attempted to save Jonah, but ultimately gave in to his request, and the moment he hit the water, the storm dissipated.  We would think that would be the end of Jonah, but the LORD sent a great fish to swallow him.  Many discount Jonah’s “story” as just that, a story, because of this detail, and what follows in chapter two, but we must remember if there is a God who exists beyond the natural, a supernatural God, then He is capable of intervening in the natural world, as Jesus did constantly during His earthly ministry.

In Jonah 2, Jonah cried out to the LORD from the belly of the fish, and the LORD heard.  He had the fish vomit Jonah out on dry land!

In Jonah 3, the LORD tells Jonah a second time to go to Nineveh.  This time, Jonah goes.  He preaches to the people to repent.  They do, and the LORD shows mercy and spares them from punishment.  The King of Nineveh took Jonah’s message so seriously he even had the people put their cattle in sackcloth, showing their repentance

In Jonah 4, Jonah explodes with anger toward the LORD for His compassion on Nineveh.  He tells the LORD he knew this is what would happen, that the LORD’s mercy and compassion would be shown.  He asked the LORD to let him die and said that’s why he left for Tarshish in the first place: he didn’t want the Ninevites to be spared.  The LORD then made a plant grow up to shade Jonah from the heat.  But after a while, He sent a worm to kill the plant.  Once again, Jonah’s anger flared, and he wanted to die.  The LORD asked Jonah whether he ought to be angry about a plant that died, which he did nothing to plant or cause to grow.  Jonah said he ought to be angry.  But the LORD was using it as an analogy, and asked Jonah whether He ought to have shown mercy for a city that had 120,000 children living in it?  We don’t get Jonah’s answer, but we can guess Jonah might still have been angry.  We don’t always find it easy to demonstrate the kind of compassion the LORD shows.  Indeed, without the power of the Holy Spirit, we can all too easily have Jonah’s attitude.  His life serves as a dramatic example of what great lengths the LORD will go to save thousands of people, and also how He works in the lives of individuals, because He cares about all of us, but He also cares about each of us.

As we return to John 1, we’re reminded how different John’s gospel is from the other three.  John wrote his gospel much later than the others, and his purpose was more “theological” than “chronological.”  That is while Matthew, Mark, and Luke wanted to present an overview of Jesus’ life (and return to heaven) from beginning to end, John wanted to show us clearly Jesus is God.  In John 1, John tells us Jesus is “the Word.”  He tells us Jesus was with God in the beginning, and Jesus created everything.  He tells us Jesus was full of grace and truth. We leave chapter 1 with a clear understanding: Jesus is not just an amazing man; He is God!

The book of Obadiah is the shortest of the writing prophets.  It has only one chapter.  It was probably written shortly after Judah was carried off into exile to Babylon.  The purpose of the book is to condemn Edom, Israel’s neighbor and “relative” (Because the Edomites descended from Esau, Jacob’s brother), for not helping the people of Judah when they were being destroyed and carried off to exile in Babylon.  Not only didn’t the Edomites help Judah, but they helped Babylon to round up the people of Judah.  Obadiah also condemns all the nations, saying on the “Day of the LORD” the people of all the nations would receive their just judgment, while the people of Judah would be restored.  This is the common theme of the prophets: Israel and Judah were judged for their unfaithfulness.  The rest of the nations were judged for their idolatry and wickedness.  The people of Israel and Judah will be restored.

As we return to Mark 16, once again, we’re reminded Mark has a “shorter ending” and a “longer ending.”  In both versions Jesus has risen from the dead.  In the shorter version we read only of His resurrection, but none of His words to the disciples.  In the longer ending, Jesus meets with the apostles and tells them of the work they will do in His name, and how the Holy Spirit will lead them and give them gifts for their work.  The reason for the shorter and longer endings is because in the manuscripts of Mark’s gospel that were found, the earliest manuscripts didn’t include the longer ending.  As we complete Mark once again, the key for us to remember is Jesus’ resurrection changes everything!  Because He rose from the dead, so shall we.  That makes all the difference now and forever.

In Amos 7, the LORD shows Amos three separate visions of what Israel’s judgment will be like.  In the first, the land would be devoured by locusts.  In the second the land would be devoured by fire.  In the final vision, the LORD set up a plumb line, by which He would judge Israel.  Amaziah came to Amos and told him to leave the land and go to Judah.  He told him the people couldn’t take his words, so he needed to leave.  Amos responded that Amaziah’s wife would become a prostitute and his children would die by his side, and he would be carried off into exile and die in “an unclean land.”

Amos 8 resumes the judgment coming against Judah.  While it could be either Judah or Israel or both, the Temple is mentioned.  The key in this condemnation of the people is their mistreatment of the poor.  They use false measures against them and sell them for silver.  The result of such treatment is the destruction of those who do it. 

Amos 9 concludes the book with a promise of utter destruction on Israel followed by a promise to restore Israel.  The LORD tells the people no matter where they hide: Sheol, heaven, or the depths of the sea, He will find them.  But then, as is so often the case, the LORD changes His tone, and He promises a future when Israel will be restored.  The LORD’s mercy always wins in the end.

As we return to Mark 15, we read once again of Jesus being delivered to Pilate, and of Pilate handing Jesus over to be crucified.  The great shame of Pilate is he found no guilt in Jesus, but to preserve his position, he went along with the people’s cries for Jesus to be crucified.  As Jesus was being prepared for crucifixion, the Roman soldiers mocked Him, by placing a crown of thorns on His head, and dressing Him with a purple robe.  The people mocked Jesus when He was crucified saying He could save others, but not Himself.  The truth in that statement is so ironic: If Jesus had saved Himself, all of us would be lost, but because He gave His life in place of ours, we can all be saved!  Upon Jesus’ death, the centurion in charge said, “Surely this man was the Son of God.”  He said that because of the manner in which Jesus died–calmly and with dignity.  Joseph of Arimathea received permission from Pilate to take Jesus’ body and bury Him in his own tomb.  This is where the chapter ends.  It is where the story ought to have ended, if Jesus were merely a man.  The devil would have won, and we would be lost.  But while Jesus was a man, He was more than a man, which is why there is a Mark 16, and why we have the hope of victory over sin and death!

Amos 4 starts with a rebuke of the women of Samaria, who the LORD calls “cows”, because they have fattened themselves with leisure, and turning away from the LORD.  The LORD tells the people over and over how He is judging them through various types of natural events such as drought, and famine.  He calls the people to repent, but they do not repent, so the judgment continues.

In Amos 5, he tells the people to seek the LORD and they will live, but if not then 1,000 will go out to battle and 100 will be left; 100 will go out and ten will be left.  The natural disasters and the battles will mount to Israel’s loss, and the people of various regions of Israel will be carried off to exile.  Even so, the LORD calls the people to let justice roll down like the waters.  He continues to call for repentance, to a return to following Him.  As always, the LORD’s judgment on sin and idolatry is sure, but He calls for repentance and a return to Him.

In Amos 6, the LORD pronounces judgment against the wealthy in Zion and Israel.  He tells them they will be the first to be carried off into exile or destroyed when the enemy comes.  They have lived a life of ease and ignored the commands of the LORD and the needs of others.  As always justice and obedience to the LORD are His call, and the people have neither heeded the call nor cared about it.

As we return to Mark 14, we read again the events leading up to the arrest and trial of Jesus.  They have become so familiar to us by this time, and we could write paragraphs about each one.  Jesus’ being anointed in Bethany, and the complaint by many that the ointment was “wasted,” while Jesus pointed out He was being anointed for burial.  Judas leaves the group and goes to the religious leaders to betray Jesus to them.  We read of the Last Supper, and all that went with it, including the disciples not knowing which of them would betray Jesus, and Peter’s claim he would never deny Jesus.  The group leaves the meal to go to Gethsemane for prayer, but only Jesus perseveres in prayer.  Then Jesus is arrested even though everyone knows He did nothing wrong.  When the religious leaders attempted to get false witnesses to testify against Him, they couldn’t even get their stories straight.  Even so, as the chapter ends, Jesus is bound, and Peter has denied knowing Jesus three times, just as Jesus said he would.  Peter weeps bitterly as the chapter ends, and each of us who love Jesus see the scene and are brought to tears as well.  But as we know, chapter 14 isn’t the worst that humanity did to Jesus.  That’s coming up tomorrow in Mark 15.

Today we turn to the prophet Amos, who may have been the first of the writing prophets.  He served both Judah and Israel, and pronounced judgment on the nations for their idolatry, and rejection of God’s ways.  In the end he offers hope that Israel will be preserved through a remnant who will return.

Amos 1 starts with a rebuke of Jerusalem and Judah, but then moves quickly to a condemnation of most of the nations that surrounded Judah and Israel.  The LORD promises to destroy each one for their sins against Israel and Judah.

This condemnation spills over to Amos 2, with a condemnation of the Moabites.  Then the judgment moves to Judah and Israel.  The LORD lists their sins in extensive detail, but by this time we have experienced most of what we read here in the other prophets.  The people are reminded of the LORD’s faithfulness from the time He delivered the people from Egypt, and they are reminded of their unfaithfulness from that time as well.

Amos 3 offers additional judgment against Israel, with the LORD asking rhetorical questions, which all have the same answer:  The people of Israel deserve their punishment. A bit of additional judgment is pronounced against Judah as well.  As we have seen time-and-again throughout the prophetic books, the LORD holds Judah and Israel to the highest standard, because they alone are His people. 

As we return to Mark 13, we recall it is Jesus’ pronouncement of what will happen in the future, and specifically at the time of His return.  The message of judgment sounds similar to that of the prophets of old, but throughout the tone is more hopeful, and throughout Jesus offers a call to be ready when He returns.  While many attempt to determine when Jesus will return, He tells us no one knows the day or the hour, so the key is to be ready whenever it is.  As we live our days, we know one thing for certain:  For us this is the “last generation” on the earth, that is each of us only gets to live for one generation.  Whether Jesus returns during our lifetime, or waits for the next generation, we have only this lifetime to trust Him as Savior and Lord, and only one generation to love and serve Him.  Let’s do that with all of our hearts, souls, minds, and strength, and do it in the power of the Holy Spirit.  As we do, we can be sure whether He comes to establish His eternal reign during our lifetimes, or whether we go to see Him at the end of our lives, we will be ready!

The Book of the Prophet Joel intrigues, because so little is known about him.  Because he writes primarily about Jerusalem and Judah, we assume he was from Judah.  Biblical scholars place the time of Joel’s writing between the 9th and 6th centuries B.C.  Joel speaks of the Day of the LORD, which the Jews thought was going to be a time of judgment against the nations, and of restoration for Israel, but Joel made it clear Israel was also in line for God’s judgment.

Joel 1 tells us of a coming storm of locusts that would destroy everything.  The resulting destruction was intended for Judah.  Joel calls the priests and the people to repentance, because that is the only thing that will stop the destruction.  This is always the case: we must repent or face the LORD’s destruction in our lives.  While Jesus has died and risen from the dead to redeem and restore us, we must repent and receive the gift of redemption or lose it.

Joel 2 offers us another picture of the coming judgment of the day of the LORD.  He offers another call to repentance, and then we read of the LORD’s great mercy, which will restore the land, and the people.  He also tells of the day when He will pour out His Spirit on all flesh.  This prophecy was fulfilled in Acts 2, on the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the 120 believers who had waited and prayed for ten days for His coming.  On that day the Church of Jesus Christ was born, and 3,000 new converts were added.

Joel 3 promises restoration for Judah and coming judgment on all the nations that have destroyed her in the past.  The book ends with more promises of Judah’s restoration.

As we return to Mark 12, Jesus tells the Parable of the Tenants, which is a thinly veiled condemnation of the religious leaders.  After this, those leaders seek to trap Jesus but fail each time.  First, the Pharisees ask Jesus whether it is lawful to pay taxes to Caesar.  Thinking whatever Jesus answers, they will have grounds to condemn Him, Jesus turned the situation around by proclaiming we must render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.  Next, the Sadducees attempted to show the fallacy of the idea of resurrection by telling a story about a woman who was married to seven different men.  Their question was, “Whose wife will she be, because she was married to seven different men?” Jesus’ answer puts them in their place as He tells them they have it wrong, because they don’t know the Scriptures or the power of God.  He points out we are neither married nor given in marriage in heaven.  After this, a teacher of the Law asks Jesus what is the greatest commandment in the Law?  Jesus’ answer silences everyone: Love the Lord you’re God…and love your neighbor as yourself.  Next, Jesus turns the tables by asking them whose son the Christ is, because King David called Him Lord.  How then could He be David’s son?  Jesus warns the people to beware of the scribes, because their goal is the praise of people, not the glorifying of God. Finally, Jesus praises a poor widow for giving her last two pennies in the offering to the LORD.  He tells the disciples she gave more than all the rich people who gave out of their abundance, because she gave out of her poverty, trusting the LORD to provide for her.