Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah: The prophetic road signs (part 2)

We continue on this week with our road trip with another four prophets - Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah. The chapters may be short but you can still feel the weight of the message for the nations - not only for Judah in the south but also for neighboring kingdoms. Picking up from the prophetic road trip last week where the focus was on the northern kingdom of Israel, this time (with the exception of Nahum) the road trip is led by prophets from the southern kingdom of Judah.

Connecting the dots
MICAH
Road sign: Justice is social.
Here's the classic verse in Micah (6:8), "He has told you, O man what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" (6:8). Micah was a contemporary of Isaiah and while Isaiah was a prophet primarily to the royal court, Micah was a prophet of the people who lived on the plains. He wept over the influence of injustice and corruption that spread from the city of Jerusalem to the surrounding villages. You can feel the tension in Micah's prophetic voice, - God is a God of justice and He has a case against His people (6:2). But He is also a covenant-keeping God with unchanging hesed (lovingkindness) declared through His promise to Abraham their forefather (7:20).

NAHUM
Road sign: God's anger, slow but sure.
150 years earlier, God spared the great city of Nineveh from judgment because they repented after the prophetic message from Jonah. Now, Nineveh is under the certain judgment of God because of their return to wickedness. In addition Nahum also predicted the downfall of Assyria, the great enemy of the northern kingdom, Israel. Nahum himself was born while Israel was under Assyrian rule, so he knows firsthand what it is like to be living under the Assyrians. The first chapter was written as an acrostic poem (each line starting with the Hebrew letter) predicting the end of Nineveh, creating a clear and memorable message to the suffering Israelites, God's wrath may be slow but it is sure.

HABAKKUK
Road sign: Watch and pray.
After King Josiah was killed by the Egyptian army, the spiritual reform that he started so well ended with his death. His successor Jehoiakim did evil in the sight of the Lord (2 Kings 23:37). Habakkuk was like a prophet on a watchtower - not only just praying but constantly looking and even interrogating God as to what He is doing in the midst of all the evil both in Judah and also her surrounding kingdoms. As your read Habakkuk, look out for the conversational tone between the prophet and His God. Though he had his expectations subverted, Habakkuk recognized God's sovereign Hand at work and concluded in the 3rd chapter with a prayer-song. He started by watching in prayer and concluded by worshipping the Lord.

ZEPHANIAH
Road sign: Day of the Lord
The book of Zephaniah was written during the reign of young King Josiah, likely in the early part of his reign. Hence, Zephaniah had a positive influence on Josiah who at 16 destroyed the foreign altars in Jerusalem, at 20 destroyed the rest of the pagan altars throughout the land of Judah. Despite the efforts of reformation from King Josiah, it was too late to turn the nation around. "The day of the Lord" - the day of reckoning is a regular theme in Zephaniah. We are familiar with Lamentations 3:22-23, "The Lord's mercy never ceases, they are new every morning" - compare this with Zephaniah 3:5, "Every morning He brings His justice to light, He does not fail." Yahweh is a loving and a holy God. He is gracious and compassionate, but when all His warnings are ignored, judgment is to be expected. Yet, His lovingkindness looks forward to a future restoration of Zion (3:14-20). 

Activity idea
Reading the Bible (especially the OT) in hindsight can take away the tension and the realities faced by the prophets in their present day situations. They do not have the redemptive historical timeline clarity that we have. Hence, as they struggle with tough social and spiritual issues, Yahweh is progressively revealing more of the fulfillment of His covenant of grace. Personally for yourself, especially in the local church setting, what do you think are the areas in our Christian life today which lack that "prophetic clarity", where we need to hear more from God, and less from the world? Make this a matter of prayer focus this week.

Christ in Scripture
Throughout this prophetic road trip, there is this tension between two truths, God is merciful and He is just. If there is mercy without justice, then it will be a compromised love. If there is justice without mercy, then it will be a callous love. How can God righteously justify the ungodly? 

This tension is resolved in the cross of Christ - "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus." (Rom 3:23-24). Because of Christ's atonement for our sins on the cross, through his perfect obedience and sacrifice, God can now legally declare me as righteous in His sight - "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Yes, both His mercies and His justice are new every morning and they are demonstrated on a hill called Calvary. Praise be to God!

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