Minor Prophet Habakkuk

Desperate to escape the despotic government, many people from Judah turned to false gods and idolatry.6 Pleading to God for rescue from such an immoral, faithless place, Habakkuk learned that the situation of Judah would be rectified in time.7 God said that He had prepared a chastising rod and that Babylon would be the avenging instrument of the just Judeans.8 After the Babylonians expelled Jehoiakim from the throne, God emancipated the Judeans and relieved the heinous social situation. In the end, Habakkuk knew that the just Israelite would not perish from the calamities of the Babylonian attacks;9 he knew that righteousness and faith would prevail. Instead of rectifying the situation at once, the Chaldean empire took control and continued to treat the Judeans harshly. Furthermore, Habakkuk became angry and questioned God again. Nevertheless, he heeded to the previous words of God and kept his faith. Before humanity lost faithfulness, Habakkuk needed to spread this message throughout the empire to save the Judeans. Habakkuk had to extend the word of God to all oppressed people, so he wrote in a style the Israelites could grasp.

Chapter three of Engaging the Christian Scriptures goes into detail over selective parts of the sections of history, writings, and prophets. Chapter three gives the reader information over several books in the Bible such as Joshua, Judges, Jeremiah, etc. The chapter dives into the text of Joshua and gives the reader useful insight over Joshua and him leading the Israel across the Jordan river to conquer the land of milk and honey, Jericho. The book of Judges purpose was to teach Israel that God is faithful and certain to punish sin therefore each person must remain loyal and devoted to the Lord. The purpose of Jeremiah was to warn of the destruction that they were about to face and to urge Judah to return and submit to God. Towards the end

God of the Old Testament is a God of election. Throughout the Old Testament we see God choosing whether to bless or curse people. Youngblood explains this through Jacob and Esau. Both were from the same father yet he chooses to bless Jacob who was younger than Esau. Election removes pride and boastfulness in humans and puts all of us on the same level waiting for God’s will in different ways. Youngblood than brings out the aspect of the covenant. Since the beginning of the time, God made covenants with the people. Through these covenants, God portrays that he always keeps his promise, and he is fair, and trustworthy to all who honor God.

A prophet's message is always spoken in the name of God. A prophet never introduces his message with the words "thus says Amos" or "thus says Isaiah." Rather, the messenger formula that appears in the text is always, "Thus says the LORD Yahweh". The message is thus the most important thing about the prophet, not the prophet himself or herself. This may be why prophets rarely mention specific names or dates that could draw the people away from the central core of the message. In addition, the prophet’s message is spoken on behalf of God (God’s words), each prophet has distinctive style/rhetoric, the message is centered on the present or near future, the prophet uses images that relate to the people to whom they are addressing. When the prophet operated within wisdom tradition, the message was given in the form of a parable or proverb (2 Sam. 12: 1- 15). In the case of a miracle story (2 Kings 4:1-7), the prophet operates as a divine representative and patron. In pronouncing a covenant lawsuit the prophet functions as a member of the divine assembly (1 Kings 22:10- 17). The often elaborate oracles against the nations place the prophet in the position of a divinely

they would be blessed if they followed God, but punished if they strayed from him. Nehemiah

Josiah found the copy of the law of God in the temple and when he heard the news that the people were not following the law, gathered all the people and kings to promise to obey the book of law. Jerusalem was filled with pilgrims for keeping the passover. They sacrificed more than 45,000 sacrifices. After the temple was refinished, The king of Egypt and his army gathered with the king of Jerusalem. The king of Egypt told the king of Jerusalem that the Lord had spoken to him telling him that if the king of Jerusalem interferes with him he will destroy the kingdom. In the battle, Josiah was badly hurt and died a few days later. Then, Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, instead of tearing his clothes he tore apart the book and the whole generation changed. Jehoahaz was the king of Judah for three months. When pharaoh defeated his father the kingdom, Judah was handed over to the Egyptians. He allowed the people to go back to practicing idolatry. When he stopped listening to the king of Egypt he imprisoned him and send him to Egypt where he died. Jehoiakim reigned in Jerusalem for eleven years and for the first four years he paid large tribute to Egypt and he reestablished idolatry then in 605 B.C., the Babylonian king, King Nebuchadnezzar, fought with Pharaoh and

Therefore, we have here Ahaziah, the wicked king of Israel, under God’s rebukes both by his providence and by his prophet, by his rod and by his word. He is confused by his own doing based on his ancestors. How can we expect to prosper by doing evil in the sight of the Lord? During this time, the stories of the past were told continuously about how God protects, heals and provide for His chosen one. When Ahaziah rebelled against God, and revolted from his allegiance to God. Ahaziah was punishment severe. When men break their covenants with God, and neglect their duty, we must reflect upon our breach of covenant and try to restore ourselves. Our sins weaken and deprive us of the glory of God. From all of the other incidents in the history of

It is apparent that the Southern Kingdom would have to face God’s judgment. The northern kingdom of Israel was destroyed by Assyria because of the sins and idolatries. Assyria tries to destroy Judah as well, but because of God’s intervention, the Assyrian army is slaughtered by an angel before they can enter Jerusalem. King, Hezekiah the righteous king who is supposed to have been one of Judah's very best rule survives. When he became ill and was told by an angel he was going to die the cried and prayed to God for help, and because he was the recipient of divine favor God gave him another fifteen years onto his life and reign after nearly dying. Yet, again, bad follows good, and the wicked king Manasseh starts doing all sorts of idolatrous

Subsequently, in 1 Chronicles 9, the people of Judah were told they lost Jerusalem and its Temple because of their unfaithfulness to God (1 Chronicles 9:1 & Murphy 113). God had sent king Nebuchadnezzar to take the Jews because God’s people were mocking His “messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets” (2 Chronicles 36:16). The Jews were in exile until Cyrus became the king of Persia, in which many Jews returned from Babylon and a new temple was built.

The narrative of judges takes a momentary break to mention the Lord sending a prophet to the people of Israel. The prophet reminds the Israelites of the deliverance they received from God in Egypt, and calls them not to fear the gods of the Amorites. The prophet ends with “But you have not obeyed my voice (Jud. 6:10).” From this point on in

King Ahab was the seventh king in the ten northern tribes of Israel. Ahab reigned for twenty-two years in Samaria. King Ahab is used as a major description of evil in the Bible. His rein was defaced due to spiritual compromise and failure in his kingdom. He was the first king of Israel to marry a pagan. Ahab later became a pagan and devoted himself to the worship of false gods in Israel. Elijah the prophet warned Ahab that if he did not obey the Lord, then judgment would be coming. The three and-a-half year famine in 1 Kings was actually caused by Ahab’s promotion of idolatry in Israel. He also kept Israel from worshiping God and tried to eliminate all of God’s

The Old Testament ends with the prophets. These teachers provided insight on many issues facing Jews who were desperate to know God. Idolatry, social injustice and religious ritualism are three areas that are emphasized in their teachings and instilled in the minds and hearts of believers today. The prophets were great teachers who had much to say about God and the way man lived, social issues they faced, religious rituals they took part in, and their teachings are just as important today as they were in the past.

I think there is the author’s certain bias in favor of the Southern Kingdom, Judah, because it lasted longer as an independent kingdom. Judah was more faithful, so the God helped

The books of Joshua and Judges are very informative in nature, detailing the events that occurred as Israel entered, conquered, and settled in the Promised Land. These two accounts shine a light on very important events that would shape the nation they would eventually become. Many miraculous events took place in these chapters, as God was fighting and winning battles for His people. These narratives also include many exhilarating and extraordinary battles that are sure to captivate any reader.

Isaiah came during a pivotal time in history. The world was changing rapidly and life was on the edge of prosperity and ruin, as it is today. In this uncertain time Isaiah was called by God to deliver a message of warning, comfort, and deliverance. Christians view the prophecies of Isaiah as a projection of the coming of Jesus Christ. Isaiah spoke of divine judgment and the promises of God through the Prince of Peace. Isaiah’s message of the future King was very meticulous. He describes how Christ will come, Christ’s character and Christ’s purpose. In this paper I will dissect Isaiah’s prophecies in the Old Testament and reference them to the events of Christ in the New Testament.