Introduction for the Week

Welcome to the final two books of the Minor Prophets section of the Old Testament of The Bible. This week we will conclude our journey through The Book of the Twelve by reading portions of Zechariah and all of Malachi. The daily devotionals for this week begin on Sunday, which will be our practice during Lent as well. In regards to our focus after the Minor Prophets, this Your Faith Journey devotional will guide us to read, study, and to be formed as disciples of Christ through the Gospel According to Matthew during the Lenten season.

 

The prophetic ministry of Zechariah took place during the same time as the prophet Haggai. “The prophets Haggai and Zechariah son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem” (Ezra 5:1 NRSV). Then in response to God’s message through the prophets the governor and priest “set out to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem” with the assistance of the people (Ezra 5:2 NRSV). Their ministries were after the collapse of the Babylonian Empire when the exiles of the Kingdom of Judah were living under the reign and rule of the Persian Emperor. Through Zechariah the Lord shared a message for the people of God to return to the Lord (Zechariah 1:3). Biblical scholars believe that the prophetic book of Zechariah is composed of two distinct written works with chapters 1-8 as the work of the prophet which may have been circulated with the written prophecies of Haggai, while chapters 9-14 were either written by the prophet’s disciples or by editors of the book at a later point in history. As you read and study it you will find that the book reminds readers and hearers of it that all the people of the earth should turn to God to worship him, while submitting to the Lord as our one true King (Zechariah 14:9).

Sunday (2/5)

Zephaniah and Haggai are the focus of our reading and studying as part of the Your Faith Journey devotional this week. The two books are part of the Minor Prophets section of the Old Testament of The Bible, which is also referred to as “The Book of the Twelve.” According to the Overview of the prophetic book of Zephaniah in The New Interpreter’s Bible One Volume Commentary, “Zephaniah functions as the southern counterpart to Amos in the Book of the Twelve, with the bulk of the message pronouncing judgment against Judah (instead of Israel) and the nations…Like Amos, Zephaniah’s oracles against the nations essentially end with judgment against God’s own people. Zephaniah concludes with a series of promises, both for the world at large and for Zion…which depicts the Lord, not a Davidic monarch, as king of the restored Zion.”

 

The prophetic ministry of Haggai takes place after the collapse of the Babylonian Empire when the exiles of the Kingdom of Judah are living under the reign and rule of the Persian Emperor. The Temple of the Lord that had been destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 B.C. continued laying in ruins for decades. The prophets’ message on behalf of God in 520 B.C. was to the governor of Judah and the priest of the Israelites serving in Jerusalem. The time had come for God’s house, the Temple, to be rebuilt so that God could “take pleasure in it and be honored” (Haggai 1:8 NRSV). Haggai’s message includes the promise of God’s blessings for his people once again (Haggai 2:19).

Sunday (1/29)

This week we will read Nahum and Habakkuk from the Minor Prophets section of the Old Testament of The Bible. The prophet “Nahum presents a message of devastation. Ninevah/Assyria is the primary object of God’s wrath in” this brief biblical book of “poetic pieces joined together by editorial transitions” (Overview portion of the book of Nahum in The New Interpreter’s Bible One Volume Commentary). According to the Introduction portion of the book bearing his name in the NIV Study Bible, “Nahum…uttered this oracle between 663 and 612 B.C…This would place him during the reign of Josiah and make him a contemporary of Zephaniah and the young Jeremiah.”

 

“Among the prophetic writings, Habakkuk is somewhat unique in that it includes no oracle addressed to Israel. In contains, rather, a dialogue between the prophet and God” (Introduction portion of Habakkuk in the NIV Study Bible). In verse 6 of the first chapter the prophet predicts the Babylonians invasion. “Habakkuk, like Jeremiah, probably lived to see the initial fulfillment of his prophecy when Jerusalem was attacked by the Babylonians in 597” B.C. (Introduction portion of Habakkuk in the NIV Study Bible).

Sunday (1/22)

As we continue reading and studying the books of the Minor Prophets section of the Old Testament of the Bible, this week we will read portions of Jonah and Micah. According to biblical scholar Tim Mackie in the Bible Project Overview: Jonah video, “Jonah is unique among the prophets of the Old Testament because they are typically collections of God’s words spoken through the prophet, but this book doesn’t actually focus on the words of the prophet. It is a story about a prophet.” The only other time Jonah is included in the Old Testament is during the reign of King Jeroboam II of the Kingdom of Israel (2 Kings 14:23-25). Jeroboam II was yet another king who led God’s people away from the will of the Lord to do evil. “He did evil in the eyes of the LORD…which he had caused Israel to commit” (2 Kings 14:24 NIV). According to the NIV Study Bible, “this book is a narrative account of a single prophetic mission. Its treatment of that mission is thus similar to the accounts of the ministries of Elijah and Elisha found in 1 & 2 Kings, and to certain narrative sections of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel.” In the Bible Project overview video, Tim Mackie explains that the literary style of this book is satire, with a rebellious Jewish prophet, pagan sailors repenting, the king of Assyria humbling himself before the God of the Israelite, as well as animals of the capital city of Assyria being “covered with sackcloth” as an act of repentance (Johan 3:8 NIV). The book reveals that Jonah was very upset with God’s mercy and compassion that he offered the Assyrians, the sworn enemy of the Kingdom of Israel.

 

The New Interpreter’s Bible One Volume Commentary published by Abingdon Press states in the overview of the book of Micah, “rich in imagery, metaphors, and intricate wordplays, the book of Micah presents itself as a word addressed to the people of Israel and Judah in the latter half of the eight century BCE during the reign of Jotham (742-735 BCE), Ahaz (735-715 BCE), and Hezekiah (715-685 BCE)…Together with Amos, Isaiah, and Hosea, Micah was one of the four great prophets of the eight century BCE…His name means ‘who is like the Lord.’” The overview in the NIB goes on to explain that “Micah makes clear that Israel’s God will not tolerate injustice rooted in and flowing from apostasy, idolatry, hypocrisy, the disregard for the Torah, and a break in the covenant relationship…yet the final word of the book as a whole offers a word of universal compassion (7:18-20).

Sunday (1/15)

This week we are continuing the journey through the Minor Prophets section of the Old Testament of the Bible until the Lenten season begins. You will be invited to read Matthew’s Gospel during Lent, and then this devotional will guide you to read and study portions of most of the New Testament documents throughout 2023.

 

Keep in mind that the books in the Bible called “Minor Prophets” were given that distinction because of their shorter length than the prophetic scrolls of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. For this week we will read portions of the books of the prophets Amos and Obadiah. The New Interpreter’s Bible One Volume Commentary published by Abingdon Press states in the overview of the book of Amos, “The book of Amos is renowned for championing social justice…Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. appealed to the powerful words of Amos 5:24 as part of his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech…Amos is often considered to have been the first writing prophet.” His prophetic ministry took place during “the long reign of Jeroboam II, who ruled Israel during the first half of the eighth century BCE…The luxurious lifestyles enjoyed by those in power came at the expense of the poor, and the court system was corrupt.” The commentary overview goes on to share that, “the central focus of the book is…the all-powerful God will judge Israel because of its social injustice and military pride…the god of their rituals and temples was a very different deity, not the God of the exodus…Israel’s political, economic, and religious system stood condemned…” Thankfully, “beyond the judgment lay the hope of a restored land and a proper relationship with God (9:11-15).”

Sunday (1/8)

During 2022, the Your Faith Journey devotional led our congregation through a reading and study plan through the Old Testament that included portions of Genesis all the way through Daniel. To begin this new year you are invited to conclude the Old Testament journey with us by reading portions of the Minor Prophets section of the Old Testament of the Bible each week until the Lenten season begins. For those who are interested in reading and studying the New Testament, you will be invited to read Matthew’s Gospel during Lent, and then this devotional will guide you through reading and studying portions of most of the New Testament documents throughout the year.

 

The books in the Bible called “Minor Prophets” were given that distinction because of their shorter length than the prophetic scrolls of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. A note about The Book of the Twelve, or the Minor Prophets in the NIV Study Bible states, “In Ecclesiasticus (an Apocryphal book written c. 190 B.C.), Jesus ben Sira spoke of ‘the twelve prophets’ (Ecclesiasticus 49:10) as a unit parallel to Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. He thus indicated that these 12 prophecies were at that time thought of as a unit and were probably already written together on one scroll.” The prophetic ministries of the 12 Minor Prophets occurred from about 785 to 430 B.C. According to the biblical scholars Tim Mackie and Jon Collins in The Bible Project video The Prophets, “while the Biblical prophets sometimes speak about the future…They were Israelites who had a radical encounter with God’s presence and then were commissioned to go and speak on God’s behalf…And the thing that they cared about the most is the mutual partnership that existed between God and the Israelites.” The video reminds us that the prophets shared messages of warning and hope. For this week we will read portions of the books of the prophets Hosea and Joel.

11/1-1/7/23

Christmas Week 2 Devotional: KING FOREVER

Happy New Year! The God who came to be with us in and through Jesus on Christmas nearly 2,000 years ago was the long-awaited Messiah of the Jews. He was and is a king whose kingdom will never end. Christ came to usher in God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. King Herod and others were unwilling to submit to the King of kings. What about you? Will you submit to the reign and rule of the King whose kingdom will never end? Christ is humble, compassionate, forgiving, and loving. How will you respond to King Jesus this new year?

12/25-12/31

Christmas Week 1 Devotional: GOD WITH US

After weeks, or months, of preparation the day and time has finally arrived. It is Christmas! The day(s) we celebrate our dear Savior’s birth. Yes, celebrations have been taking place throughout the Advent season, but now is the time to “fall on your knees” as described in the Christmas song O Holy Night. Now is the time for us to sing “sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus” (O Holy Night). This baby born in Bethlehem and placed in a manger is described by the apostle Paul in this way, “God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ” (Colossians 1:19 NLT). Somehow the fullness of the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth dwelled in the baby born in Bethlehem on Christmas morn. Matthew, the gospel writer, shared this detail about the Christmas story, “the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means, “God is with us” (Matthew 1:23 NRSV). Yes, God came to be with us in the person of Jesus. The source of life, grace, hope, love, joy, and peace came to the earth to save us from our sins. Christ came to reveal the way to God, the will of our heavenly Father, and the ways of the Lord. Yes, let us “praise His name forever” (O Holy Night). Christ is born!

12/18-12/24

Advent Week 4 Devotional: PEACE

Hundreds of years before Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Isaiah prophesied that a child would be born for God’s people, with authority resting “upon his shoulders,” and the child would be named “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Great will be his authority, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore” (Isaiah 9:6-7 NRSV). This “Prince of Peace” with great authority that Isaiah described is Jesus, the child born to Mary and Joseph and placed in the feeding trough nearly 2,000 years ago. The night Christ was born a multitude joined the angel who appeared to the shepherds praising the Lord and proclaiming, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors” (Luke 2:14 NRSV). The message of the angelic multitude is that God offers us peace because we are recipients of the Lord’s grace. Decades after Jesus’ birth during his time of ministry he said, “my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives” (John 14:27 NRSV). The Prince of Peace offers us his peace, which the world cannot provide. Will you receive the peace the Lord is offering you this Christmas?

This daily devotional for the fourth week of the season is designed to help you focus on the PEACE offered to us through Jesus.

12/11-12/17

Advent Week 3 Devotional: JOY

After hundreds of years of being enslaved in Egypt, when the Hebrew people were finally set free from their oppressors they began singing and praising the Lord. A psalmist described it this way, “he {God} brought his people out with joy, his chosen ones with singing” (Psalm 105:43 NRSV). God’s deliverance of his people resulted in praising the Lord, our Deliverer. Our response to what God does for us, including delivering us from sin and death, should be joyful worship and adoration.

 

When the angel visited the shepherds on the night Jesus was born, the angel proclaimed, “I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11 NRSV). The angel reminds us that the story of Christmas is good news for all people. It is a gospel message of great joy for everyone! The source of hope, love, and joy chose to be born among us and abide with us. Through our faith in Jesus and the indwelling of the Spirit of Christ we have an inexpressible and overflowing joy that can be seen when we give cheerfully and live generously. The apostle Paul taught that part of the fruit of the Holy Spirit in us is “joy” (Galatians 5:22-23). Don’t try to hide it, but instead let the joy of the Lord that is in you overflow into singing, giving, and generosity.