Old Testament Archives - Page 101 of 143

Surveying the Text: Zephaniah

Joe Harby on August 23, 2015

Introduction

As with many of the other minor prophets, what we know about the author of the book is basically contained within the book. This book begins with an unusual genealogy, one which means that Zephaniah is probably the great-grandson of King Hezekiah, which would place him in the tribe of Judah. From the nature of the prophecies, we can place his ministry during the reign of his kinsman, Josiah, and this ministry was probably during the early part of Josiah’s reign. He makes reference to the “remnant of Baal” (Zeph. 1:4), and these were dealt with after the discovery of the law in Josiah’s reign (621 B.C.). Nahum and Jeremiah were more or less contemporaries.

The Text

“The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; He will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing” (Zeph. 3:17).

Summary of the Text

Like the book of Joel, the emphasis here in on the “Day of the Lord” (e.g. compare Zeph. 1:14-18 with Joel 2:1-11 ). And given what we learned about the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy on the Day of Pentecost, we should locate the final fulfillment of this book in the same way. After Zephaniah introduces himself (1:1), we can break down this short book in this way:

Proclamation of universal judgment (1:2-6);
The Day of YHWH announced (1:7-2:3);
A series of oracles against other nations (2:4-15); Judgment declared against Jerusalem (3:1-5); Judgment on the nations announced (3:6-8);
A great change is approaching (3:9-13);
God bursts into song (3:14-20).

For those who want to believe that Jehovah is not the Lord of lords and King of kings, but rather a regional and much beloved tribal chieftain, note how the voice of prophetic authority never lets this happen. The word of Zephaniah comes against Philistia, Moab,

Ammon, Cush, Assyria, and of course Judah.

The general theme works like this—hopeless corruption now, certain judgment pending, and God’s deliverance as a certainty after that. We see this in the corruptions of Israel in the Old Testament, the cataclysmic judgments that befall her, culminating in 70 A.D., followed by the times of refreshing ushered in by the Messiah of God. These times of refreshing are when we are privileged to live.

Like Wine on the Lees

“And it shall come to pass at that time, That I will search Jerusalem with candles, And punish the men that are settled on their lees: That say in their heart, The Lord will not do good, neither will he do evil” (Zeph. 1:12).

The Lord has never appreciated tepid or lukewarm men and women. The phrase “on the lees” refers to wine that has been laid down in order to settle, undisturbed. However good that might be for wine, it is not good for your soul. If you find yourself saying, “God will not do anything much, either way,” beware. The Lord is walking through Jerusalem, lamp held high, and He is looking for you.

Hidden in the Lord

The name Zephaniah means “YHWH has hidden.” Remember that Zephaniah is probably of the seed royal, and may well have been a prince at Josiah’s court. Ungodly rulers often take a dim view of the seed royal (2 Kings 11:1), and so there may be an echo of deliverance in Zephaniah’s name. Whether that be true or not, he rejoices in the fact that God does in fact know how to hide His beloved.

“Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, Which have wrought his judgment; Seek righteousness, seek meekness: It may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger” (Zeph. 2:3).

Even in the day of His wrath, God loves to make distinctions. He took Noah and family into the ark, He got Lot and some of his family out of Sodom, the plagues of Egypt did not fall upon Goshen, and Jesus warned His disciples about when they should flee from Jerusalem. God judges nations—as our nation is currently under judgment—but He is always mindful of His people. Pray that you might be hidden in the day of God’s chastisements. Enjoy life here in Sherwood Forest.

One of the blessings that God offers us is this. Though we are in the midst of it, He will protect us. “A thousand shall fall at thy side, And ten thousand at thy right hand; But it shall not come nigh thee” (Ps. 91:7).

With Singing

Dawn follows the black of midnight. The darkness might be overwhelming and oppressive, but joy comes in the morning. God is a Deliverer who loves deliverance. When He accomplishes it, He sings over it, and over the people He has delivered.

“The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; He will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing” (Zeph. 3:17).

Note the connection between the removal of fear and joy. In the previous verses, we see the presence of the Lord with us (3:15). God is Immanuel, and this is ours through the Incarnation. God is in our midst. Because of that, He tells us not to fear, and He follows it up with the exhortation to not have our hands be limp (presumably with fear). Why? Because the God who is with us is in our midst, and in our midst He is mighty. His presence is a saving presence, and He rejoices over us. He is content in His love; He rests in His love. He rejoices over us with singing.

Consider the magnitude of our deliverance and salvation. We are delivered—saved, purified, cleansed, put back together, sanctified, justified, made holy, grown up into maturity—to such an extent that God Himself bursts into song at the sight of us.
Is this your view of salvation? Are you preparing to be an everlasting delight to God Himself? Or do you think that at the last minute the lowest ranking scrub angel in the clean-up crew is going to drag you through the Pearly Gates with your shoelaces on fire? What do you think salvation is exactly?

This is something that God really wants us to grasp. Paul prayed this way for the Ephesians, very specifically. He said, “I . . . cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints” (Eph. 1:16–18). So when He sings, you should too.

Surveying the Text: Habakkuk

Joe Harby on August 16, 2015

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Introduction

Apart from what can be inferred from this book, we know nothing of the prophet who assembled it. But from the things described, we can see that he was a contemporary of Jeremiah, Nahum, and Zephaniah. The book is delivered sometime between 612 B.C. and 599 B.C.—before Babylon attacked Jerusalem, but after Babylon had become a hegemonic power.

The Text

“Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: But the just shall live by his faith” (Hab. 2:4).

Summary of the Text

In the first place, the structure of the book takes a chiastic form.

A How long must I wait for justice? (1:2-4);
B A great army is coming (1:5-11);
C Why are the less wicked punished by those who are more wicked (1:12-17);
D The just will live by faith (2:1-5);
C’ All wickedness will be put to rights (2:6-20);
B’ A great army from YHWH is coming (3:1-15);
A’ I will wait for justice (3:16-19).

Looking at the flow of the book in another way, we can see this: Habakkuk complains about the predominant corruption (1:1-4). God answers him by saying the Babylonians are going to come in to mete out His judgment on Judah (1:5-11). Habakkuk’s second complaint is that God is using evil men to judge men who are less evil (1:12-2:1). God answers him again by asserting that Babylon will be judged in due course (2:2-5). The next section consists of a series of woes pronounced against Babylon. Think of it as five strokes of a sword—the plunderer plundered (2:6-8), the proud conqueror shamed (2:9-11), the building of the builder is burned (2:12-14), the one who forces someone to drink will be forced to drink shame (2:15-17), and the silent idol remains silent before God (2:18-20). The book then concludes with a grand poetic statement of the prophet’s trust in God (3:1-19).

New Testament Commentary

One portion of this book is quoted three times in the New Testament, and all to the same effect. Paul takes it as his theme for the book of Romans, and we have seen that the verse he uses is at the chiastic hinge of the book of Habakkuk. “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith” (Rom. 1:17). Paul highlights what the prophet highlights. He makes a similar point in the book of Galatians, which is dedicated to the same theme that the book of Romans is. “But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith” (Gal. 3:11). The author of Hebrews is urging his readers not to give up, not to forsake their duty to persevere. Keep running the race. And why?

“Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him” (Heb. 10:38).

But the first chapter of Habakkuk is also quoted by Paul when he is presenting the gospel to unbelieving Jews. Remember what the original context of Habakkuk was about, and notice how Paul applies it here to the unbelief present in his generation.

“And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets; Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you” (Acts 13:39–41).

The Great Theme

The difficulty is the problem of evil, and when God promises to deal with that evil, the next difficulty comes in understanding the need for faith—because God rarely deals with these problems in the same way that we would. We know that God does it right by definition, and yet at the same time our moral sense tells us that something is quite wrong. Believing the universe is governed by absolute goodness is the only possible basis for thinking anything could be wrong with it now.

“Although the fig tree shall not blossom, Neither shall fruit be in the vines; The labour of the olive shall fail, And the fields shall yield no meat; The flock shall be cut off from the fold, And there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation” (Hab. 3:17–18).

By Faith Throughout

Return to the first chapter of Romans. The just shall live by faith. Paul teaches us the doctrine of forensic justification, and this justification is punctiliar—it happens at a point in time. One moment a man is unjustified, and the next moment he is justified. But when he crosses that great border between the land of shadows and the land of the living, the faith that enabled him to cross that border does not evaporate. It does not disappear. It does not float off.

“For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith” (Rom. 1:17). This is a process that encompasses all of life, by necessity. This new life is inaugurated by faith, it is continued by faith, and it culminates in faith. It is by faith from first to last.

But faith requires an object, otherwise we are dealing with the nonsensical exercise of trying to have faith in our faith. Faith is the natural and ordinary response to the perceived faithfulness of God. When God and His Word are seen as faithful, then faith cannot be kept from appearing.

“Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised” (Heb. 11:11 ).

“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17). Believing is a verb that requires a direct object, and that direct object must be whatever God has said or done regarding the moment in which you are believing.

Psalm 73 – Nevertheless

Joe Harby on August 16, 2015

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Introduction

This Psalm marks the first of 11 Psalms that are attributed to Asaph (along with Psalm 50). Asaph was one of the Levites appointed by David to lead the Israelites in singing (1 Chron. 6:39). And he presided over the singing at the dedication of Solomon’s Temple.

The Temptation 1-3

The Psalmist begins with a basic statement of faith. God is good to his people (Heb. 11:6). But then Asaph confesses how his own faith in this promise was challenged when what he saw in this life did not square with what he understood God’s promise to be. He was caught by an envy of the “peace” that the wicked seemed to have.

The Luxury of the Wicked 4-9

He describes for us now the effortless luxury of the wicked. They seem to have no fear of death. And troubles do not touch them as they do others. Note the “therefore” in verse 6. Because of this apparent ease, they become proud, wearing their arrogance like a badge. And this pride drives them to mock God and his people.

Is My Obedience in Vain? 10-14

The wicked live lives of rebellion and then mockingly asks if God even notices them. Then the righteous begin to wonder the same question. What is the point of obedience if the reward for obedience is a trial, and the reward of disobedience is prosperity? The complaint sounds very similar to that of the prodigal son’s older brother (Luke 15:29-30).

The Sudden Realization 15-20

But the faithful man catches himself and sees that he is reasoning like the ungodly man (v. 13 cf v. 11). The turn comes, however, when he goes to worship. Worship opens our eyes and gives us a different and more eternal perspective. The temptations that Asaph had wrestled with were temptations that come from having a very momentary perspective. God brings a sudden change. This is why we are regularly called to wait on the Lord.

Nevertheless 21-28

“Nevertheless” means despite all that I see around me at this moment, I know this to be true about God. He is my portion and I trust him. He takes me by the right hand and receives me to glory.

Exodus 2

Joe Harby on August 9, 2015

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Introduction

The beginning of the Exodus narrative begins with the refusal of the King of Egypt to acknowledge Joseph (lit. “know Joseph”). Chapter 2 ends with God acknowledging Israel (lit. “know”). In between we find acts of faith: the midwives; Moses’ parents; Moses’ sister and Moses himself. Acts that spring from a life lived in the knowledge that God “knows the way of the righteous.”

We also find acts of rebellion: Pharaoh, taskmasters, the general populace and some Israelites. These acts spring from a refusal to acknowledge that which God acknowledges.

The Text

“So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them” (Ex. 2:24-25).

Jocheved, and Miriam’s Faith (and Pharaoh’s Daughter?) (2:1-10)

Faith has consequences! Jocheved and Amram having acted in faith and now have a baby boy whom a nation have been mobilized to cast into the river. So, how do you react and what do you do? You put him in the river! How that is done reveals her Jocheved’s faith.

Miriam stands by to “know” what will happen to the boy. Miriam is not waiting out of curiosity, she is waiting in faith. She acts shrewdly, just like the midwives in ch.1, and Moses is restored to his mother before departing to Pharaoh’s household.

Moses’ Faith (2:11-14)

Moses having spent the vast majority of his life in Pharaoh’s household knows he is a Hebrew and that he will redeem Israel (Acts 7:23-25). By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward. By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible. (Heb 11:25-27)

Moses the Rejected Redeemer (2:11-14)

Moses defends his brethren and “supposed that his brothers would understand that God was giving them salvation by his hand, but they did not understand.” (Acts 7:25)

“Who made you a prince and a judge over us?” No answer is given to this Israelite’s question because it is already clear! God has made him prince and judge! This lack of awareness is striking in comparison to Jocheved and Miriam’s faith and understanding.

Moses fears and flees when he becomes aware that his killing of the Egyptian was “known.”

Moses in Midian, Israel in Egypt (2:15-21)

Moses settles down to a quiet life in exile. A man cast out of both “homes”: Egyptian and Hebrew. A stranger in a strange land. Having sons who are not born under a death sentence. Shepherding just as Israel’s sons used to do when they first arrived in Egypt. His credentials as Israel’s redeemer become less and less convincing as time passes.

Exodus 2:23-25

Meanwhile in Egypt… a wicked king dies and a cry goes up. God’s covenant with Abraham, hinted at in the beginning of Exodus 1, is mentioned explicitly. God has not forgotten, even when everything seems to point to that conclusion.

The Fruitfulness of Israel

Joe Harby on July 26, 2015

The Text

“And a man of the house of Levi went and took as wife a daughter of Levi” (Exodus 2:1).

Introduction

The simplicity of this verse belies its significance in the context of the Exodus narrative. As we read on in the book of Exodus and other books in the Old Testament we find the simplicity of this introduction to the birth of Moses also disguises a narrative complexity that is the key to understanding its significance.

Context: Exodus 1

Exodus 1:1-1:6:
Paraphrase of Genesis 46:8 – 50:26. This introduction consciously picks up on the final chapters of Genesis and continues the story. Keeping the final chapters of Genesis in mind is therefore necessary as we read Exodus 1 and 2.

Exodus 1:7-22:
The fruitfulness of Israel and their subsequent subjugation by Egypt just as revealed by the Lord to Abraham in Genesis 15:13-15.

vv.11-22 from enslavement to infanticide. The failure of Pharaoh’s increasingly desperate attempts to frustrate God’s covenant promises to Abraham that Israel would flourish and leave Egypt for Canaan.

The Anonymous Marriage: Exodus 2:1

Verses 1 and 2 tell the story of a man marrying a woman who then conceives and gives birth to a son. There is nothing unusual about this storyline in Biblical narrative. It happens all the time. However, we have the unusual detail that both the parents and the baby are unnamed. We then read on to find in v.4 that the anonymous firstborn son has an anonymous sister (v.4), and then in v.10 the child is named by an Egyptian princess.

It is not until we get to Exodus 6:20 that we find out the parents names: Amram and Jocheved, but also we find out Moses has a brother, Aaron, and then in 7:7 we find out Aaron is the older brother. The genealogy in Numbers 26:59 then gives us the complete family tree: Amram and Jocheved have 3 children: Miriam, Aaron and Moses. Exodus 2:1-2 missed out the birth of two children. Why?

Understanding how Moses tell this story in Exodus 2 is therefore key to understanding the point he wants to make.

Opposition to Pharaoh and Faith in God

Pharaoh’s irrational rage towards Israel was met with simple, obedient faith. To surrender to the temptation to acquiesce in search of a quiet trouble-free life would result in greater destruction.

“By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s
command.” (Hebrews 11:23)