As I read the prophesies of Nahum I definitely take away that his prophesy is more about Ninevah and God's interaction with the city, her people and the empire at large - and less about the prophet. Whereas the prophesy of Jonah was as much about Jonah as it was about the land and the people.
There was roughly 100 years between the prophets
Another major difference in the prophets reveals itself theologically in that Jonah, by virtue of being in the belly of the whale for three days and three nights, becomes a type of Christ. This is made clear in Matthew 12, verses 40 and 41. As such, Jonah's prophesy is as much about God's love for the gentiles and it is about the judgement of the wicked. Brian
The prayer of faith that concludes the book of Habakkuk is a beautiful encouragement to trust God and live by the faith that you have in Him. Chapter 3, verses 1 through 19. "yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my savior." (verse 18)
With regard to Zephaniah, this prophet also closes his writing by speaking about the coming salvation - the day of the Lord in Chapter 3, verses 8 through 20. For example, the beautiful words of Chapter 3, verse 9 which reads, "The I will purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve Him shoulder to shoulder." Nice Brian
Brian I want to reply to your post concerning the messages of hope we see in Zephaniah and Habakkuk. I thought you wrote them out in a very good fashion. In my Spirit Filled Life Bible in a Word Wealth they wrote that this word joy in Hab. 3:18 is Gil in Hebrew which means to joy and rejoice in a spinning around fashion. It's not in a way that we would think but in more of a full body experience. It is the same word in Zephaniah 3:17. When you think about how our external world can be reshaped and remolded, we can have this joy expressed here and other places because we understand the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives. This is the thrill of heaven and we have an opportunity to express heaven here on earth.
I believe the prophecies between Jonah and Nahum are very similar, perhaps the main difference between them is how each prophet has a different style to speaking the message.
I believe there were about one hundred years between the two prophecies. I believe God was testing Nineveh during this time of grace, but by destroying them God ultimately did fulfill what He spoke through Jonah.
In the message of Zephaniah I can see how God is encouraging Israel by telling them that even after all the bad takes place there will be a blessing on them, this would give them something to live for when it seems hard. In Habakkuk God specifically says that He will be their salvation, which would imply that they will be saved from their trouble.
Daniel, Your remark, “after the bad takes place, there will be a blessing on them,” is what I needed to read right here and now. What I love about Zephaniah is the encouragement he offers to believers. It is easy for us to forget that God is faithful when everything around us in disarray. God’s promises to His people are going to come to pass, no matter how bad their situation gets before the end. Thank you for that reminder.
Thanks Ashley! I have always thought about how it is so Awesome when I come across something someone else has said or written when it was just what I needed to hear most at that very moment!
I would compare the prophecies of Jonah and Nahum as how one generation responded is not the same as others. The people of Nineveh responded to the preaching of Jonah in a way that he did not want, they repented starting with the king and all the people. This plays itself out even to the livestock. God saw a generation of "savages" the "sinners" or "barbarians" of Jonah's day respond to a change of lifestyle. It is evident that the change did not take deep root. One hundred years or so later Nahum's prophesy is bent on the destruction of the city which seems directed by God. What is interesting in chapter 1 starting in verse 11 is a description of, From you comes forth one who plots evil against the Lord, a wicked counselor or a counselor of Belial. Then God mentions in verse 14 concerning ...out of the house of your gods I will cut off the carved image and the molted image. I will dig your grave for you are vile. This is different language from Jonah. One book the people repent and the other they are vile. What we see in Nahum is what is not seen to the physical eye; namely what effect the sons of Belial had on Nineveh. They were warriors against Yahweh in a spiritual sense. As we read about the calamity Nineveh endured it was her failure to keep the right actions before Yahweh in Jonah going and where the worship of idols paved the way for the effects of Belial. These are two books about contrast over a span of 100 years or so.
From one student to the others, this class on the Prophets is a real gift. Marty is putting his heart into this class for us and is being gracious to us letting us know where we stand as far as a grade goes and generally wants us all to succeed. We do not have class in room 153 this semester. No our classroom work is via Blackboard. One of the benefits of classroom study is that we all get to meet each other and hear what we are experiencing in ministry. This class we do not have the luxury of face to face if we do not respond on this blog. I want to hear what you are going through and how I can pray for you. If we do not communicate with each other how can we as a class help each other?
The prophecy of Jonah and the prophecy of Nahum are different in that Jonah deals primarily with his relationship with God. All throughout Jonah, we are taught about the call of God and how we are to respond. Jonah focuses mainly on God dealing with one man's rebellion. We also see that the people of Nineveh respond to Jonah's warning when it is finally delivered. Their change, however, does not last with their children's children. 100 years later, Nahum deals with God's wrath on the people of Nineveh. Nineveh is back to their evil ways and Nahum declares that God is going to make them pay for their actions.
Zephaniah and Habakkuk offer great hope to believers in bad situations. In both Habakkuk and Zephaniah, God is encouraging Israel to maintain faithful. He is reminding faithful believers that He will always protect them, even through his wrath. In Zephaniah, I see God encouraging believers to remember that "He his mighty to save" (Zeph 3:17). God will deliver them out of the situation they got themselves in. He is powerful enough to save those who remain faithful to him and his statutes.
As I read the prophesies of Nahum I definitely take away that his prophesy is more about Ninevah and God's interaction with the city, her people and the empire at large - and less about the prophet. Whereas the prophesy of Jonah was as much about Jonah as it was about the land and the people.
ReplyDeleteThere was roughly 100 years between the prophets
Another major difference in the prophets reveals itself theologically in that Jonah, by virtue of being in the belly of the whale for three days and three nights, becomes a type of Christ. This is made clear in Matthew 12, verses 40 and 41. As such, Jonah's prophesy is as much about God's love for the gentiles and it is about the judgement of the wicked.
Brian
The prayer of faith that concludes the book of Habakkuk is a beautiful encouragement to trust God and live by the faith that you have in Him. Chapter 3, verses 1 through 19. "yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my savior." (verse 18)
ReplyDeleteWith regard to Zephaniah, this prophet also closes his writing by speaking about the coming salvation - the day of the Lord in Chapter 3, verses 8 through 20. For example, the beautiful words of Chapter 3, verse 9 which reads, "The I will purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve Him shoulder to shoulder." Nice
Brian
Brian I want to reply to your post concerning the messages of hope we see in Zephaniah and Habakkuk. I thought you wrote them out in a very good fashion. In my Spirit Filled Life Bible in a Word Wealth they wrote that this word joy in Hab. 3:18 is Gil in Hebrew which means to joy and rejoice in a spinning around fashion. It's not in a way that we would think but in more of a full body experience. It is the same word in Zephaniah 3:17. When you think about how our external world can be reshaped and remolded, we can have this joy expressed here and other places because we understand the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives. This is the thrill of heaven and we have an opportunity to express heaven here on earth.
DeleteI believe the prophecies between Jonah and Nahum are very similar, perhaps the main difference between them is how each prophet has a different style to speaking the message.
ReplyDeleteI believe there were about one hundred years between the two prophecies. I believe God was testing Nineveh during this time of grace, but by destroying them God ultimately did fulfill what He spoke through Jonah.
In the message of Zephaniah I can see how God is encouraging Israel by telling them that even after all the bad takes place there will be a blessing on them, this would give them something to live for when it seems hard. In Habakkuk God specifically says that He will be their salvation, which would imply that they will be saved from their trouble.
Daniel,
DeleteYour remark, “after the bad takes place, there will be a blessing on them,” is what I needed to read right here and now. What I love about Zephaniah is the encouragement he offers to believers. It is easy for us to forget that God is faithful when everything around us in disarray. God’s promises to His people are going to come to pass, no matter how bad their situation gets before the end. Thank you for that reminder.
Ashley
Thanks Ashley! I have always thought about how it is so Awesome when I come across something someone else has said or written when it was just what I needed to hear most at that very moment!
DeleteI would compare the prophecies of Jonah and Nahum as how one generation responded is not the same as others. The people of Nineveh responded to the preaching of Jonah in a way that he did not want, they repented starting with the king and all the people. This plays itself out even to the livestock. God saw a generation of "savages" the "sinners" or "barbarians" of Jonah's day respond to a change of lifestyle. It is evident that the change did not take deep root. One hundred years or so later Nahum's prophesy is bent on the destruction of the city which seems directed by God. What is interesting in chapter 1 starting in verse 11 is a description of, From you comes forth one who plots evil against the Lord, a wicked counselor or a counselor of Belial. Then God mentions in verse 14 concerning ...out of the house of your gods I will cut off the carved image and the molted image. I will dig your grave for you are vile. This is different language from Jonah. One book the people repent and the other they are vile. What we see in Nahum is what is not seen to the physical eye; namely what effect the sons of Belial had on Nineveh. They were warriors against Yahweh in a spiritual sense. As we read about the calamity Nineveh endured it was her failure to keep the right actions before Yahweh in Jonah going and where the worship of idols paved the way for the effects of Belial. These are two books about contrast over a span of 100 years or so.
ReplyDeleteFrom one student to the others, this class on the Prophets is a real gift. Marty is putting his heart into this class for us and is being gracious to us letting us know where we stand as far as a grade goes and generally wants us all to succeed. We do not have class in room 153 this semester. No our classroom work is via Blackboard. One of the benefits of classroom study is that we all get to meet each other and hear what we are experiencing in ministry. This class we do not have the luxury of face to face if we do not respond on this blog. I want to hear what you are going through and how I can pray for you. If we do not communicate with each other how can we as a class help each other?
ReplyDeleteThe prophecy of Jonah and the prophecy of Nahum are different in that Jonah deals primarily with his relationship with God. All throughout Jonah, we are taught about the call of God and how we are to respond. Jonah focuses mainly on God dealing with one man's rebellion. We also see that the people of Nineveh respond to Jonah's warning when it is finally delivered. Their change, however, does not last with their children's children. 100 years later, Nahum deals with God's wrath on the people of Nineveh. Nineveh is back to their evil ways and Nahum declares that God is going to make them pay for their actions.
ReplyDeleteZephaniah and Habakkuk offer great hope to believers in bad situations. In both Habakkuk and Zephaniah, God is encouraging Israel to maintain faithful. He is reminding faithful believers that He will always protect them, even through his wrath. In Zephaniah, I see God encouraging believers to remember that "He his mighty to save" (Zeph 3:17). God will deliver them out of the situation they got themselves in. He is powerful enough to save those who remain faithful to him and his statutes.
Ashley,
DeleteI love the hymn at the end of Habakkuk, "Although everything looks hopeless, yet I will rejoice in the Lord..."
Good comments.
--- marty ---
Benjamin,
ReplyDeleteThank you. Good messages of hope.
--- marty ---