Bible Study Brief: Zephaniah and Jonah

Sunday, March 13

Zephaniah 3:14-20

Jonah 1:1-2:1  

These stories are from the minor prophets (so called because the stories from and about them are shorter in length); there are 12 of them rounding out the Hebrew Testament. Even in shorter form, the minor prophets follow the classic pattern of announcing condemnation to a city or nation, followed by promises of what God will do when they repent (sometimes what God does is make the repentance happen).

Zephaniah 3:14-20

Zephaniah provides a brief but harsh criticism against the establishment in Jerusalem. They are trusting in their own wealth and power and are creating international alliances and turning toward other gods. The result of this is that the poor of Jerusalem are not being cared for and are being taken advantage of, contrary to God’s law. The punishment for this will be thorough: chapter 1 describes an undoing of creation similar to the Great Flood (Gen 6-9). After this “Day of the Lord”, God will remove the judgment against the people and will rejoice over them, saving both the nation as a whole and individuals from disaster, illness, and exile, restoring the land, the community, and their fortunes (sounds a little bit like Job, too!).  Once again, there are themes of restoration after devastation, life after death, promise fulfilled after despair. 

Jonah 1:1-2:1 

Jonah is a very different kind of prophetic book. It is more of a story than the other prophetic books are, and it is about Jonah rather than a collection of his words. In fact, Jonah has very few words at all in this story. His longest speech is not against the city of Ninevah, where he is sent to prophesy, but while he is in the belly of the great fish, and calls to God in the words of a very eloquent psalm-like prayer.

This first chapter is the Big Fish part of the story, the part we know best. God has called on Jonah, who is never identified as a prophet per se, to travel to Ninevah and warn them that God is aware of their wicked ways. Jonah doesn’t want to go because Ninevah is an enemy of Israel. If he goes, he might be killed by these Assyrians who earlier decimated the Israelites; or they may repent, since God is “gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and ready to relent from punishing” (4:2). Neither of these options is appealing to Jonah, who decides to disobey God and run to the other side of the world (Ninevah was in what is now Iraq; Tarshish in modern Spain; see map on 1498 of Lutheran Study Bible).

This story is probably included in the Easter Vigil readings because of the resurrection theme of Jonah being disobedient and running from God, then being swallowed by a great fish, where he stayed for 3 days and nights before being brought to “new life” when the fish spit him out, alive, on the shore. These are parallel themes with the other prophetic writings we’ve studied previously, and with the resurrection details of Jesus being in the tomb for 3 days and nights before God raised him from the dead. This story also broadens God’s interest in salvation for all nations, not only for Israel. God notices people outside of Israel, even their enemies, and desires repentance and salvation for them.  

To see a performance of this story, click here 

Bible Study Brief: Ezekiel 37

Wednesday, March 9 

Ezekiel 37:1-14  

This story of the Dry Bones is probably the most familiar from Ezekiel. In this vision, God promises to re-create life from death, a sort of second creation using the raw material of what is left of the Israelites. In exile, they feel that they are cut off from their source of life (away from Jerusalem = away from God), and so they have dried up, wasting away to only bones. God promises to bring them back together so they are whole, including flesh, sinew, skin, and bone, and to breathe God’s spirit into them for new life.

Remember, in Hebrew as well as in Greek there is one word for spirit, wind, and breath, which is the source of life for these new creations. With these parallel images to resurrection and new life, this is a perfect story for the Easter Vigil! 

Bible Study Brief: Ezekiel 36

Sunday, March 6

Ezekiel 36:24-28

Ezekiel was a priest turned prophet who was likely forcibly removed from Jerusalem with other leaders during the exile. His message is harsh criticism at times, poetic vision at other times, comfort and promise at others. In his description, the Israelites are in exile because of their unholy ways; they have not kept the laws and particularly the ritual ordinances for worship, so they are being punished by being taken captive by the Babylonians. Despite their unfaithfulness, however, the LORD is faithful and the LORD remains holy. When it seems God has gone back on the Abrahamic covenant (land, people, blessing), Ezekiel interprets the exile as the way God is keeping God’s name holy despite the carelessness of the people. This “time out” that is exile will create a way for God to renew the covenant relationship with them.

In this section, God promises to renew Israel by gathering them together from their scattered exile, cleansing them with clean water (baptism/purification), replacing their hearts of stone (think of Pharaoh’s “hardened heart” during the plagues!) with a heart of flesh, and pouring God’s own spirit within them (the same way God breathed the Spirit/”breath of life” into humans at creation). In short, this is their do-over; they get a clean start again, to be God’s people.  In the midst of the pain and shame of this forced separation from their home (both their land and their God), these are comforting words indeed. 

Bible Study Brief: Isaiah 55

Sunday, February 28

Isaiah 55:1-11

Isaiah is a complex book, mostly because it is likely 3 or 4 distinct sections, collected/composed at three very different times and locations in the life of Israel and Judah. The second part, sometimes called “Second Isaiah”, includes chapters 40-55 and dates from the Babylonian Captivity, 597-538 BCE. When the people are in exile and don’t know where God is (the temple has been destroyed, so where can God live?), they long for assurance that God is still there, still their God, and knows where they are.

“For the prophets, history is not merely a stage for human actors but is the arena where God guides, warns, challenges, and liberates God’s chosen people and reaches out to all the peoples of the world.”  Lutheran Study Bible, Introduction to Isaiah, 1092

In this particular section there are words of comfort for the exiles, and words of hope and promise for a better future. God invites them to feast on the goodness of God for free. God promises a new covenant with them, renewing the covenant with Noah and expanding the covenant with David to include all people.  God will bring them through a new exodus, leading them out of this land of exile and back to the promised land. Third Isaiah, ch. 55-65, addresses the people after they have returned to rebuild Jerusalem.

Some very familiar lines are found in this section. One of my favorites is quoted in a book, Tattoos on the Heart by Gregory Boyle. He says, “Your ways are not my ways, says the Lord (v. 8)—but they could be.” In this new covenant, new exodus, new chance, all are called to the mission to live in God’s ways. 

Bible Study Brief: Proverbs 8 & 9

Wednesday, March 2

Proverbs 8:1-8, 19-22, 9:4-6

Proverbs paints wisdom as an aspect of God, characterized as female. The words for wisdom are feminine words in both Hebrew and Greek, and here wisdom is personified as a woman. This wisdom is available to all; from this busy public place, “the crossroads”, all are invited to come in. (Other parts of scripture, such as Job 28:12, tell us that wisdom cannot be found by mortals.) In Proverbs, wisdom is celebrated as a good gift from God, and those who have it are godly, resisting evil.

To see a performance of this story, click here.  

Bible Study Brief: Exodus 14-15

Wednesday, February 24

Exodus 14:10-31
             15:20-21

This is the suspenseful part of the escape from slavery. The Israelites have been released by Pharaoh and have successfully made some forward progress into the wilderness. They are stopped at the edge of the sea, however, wondering how to cross, when they can see Pharaoh's army in the distance. Pharaoh has changed his mind and sent the army to retrieve his workforce, the Israelites. God once again provides a miracle: the sea is parted so they may cross over on dry land. The Egyptians aren't so fortunate, however, and are swept into the sea when they try to pursue.

Remember this has been a cosmic battle. It is not only God vs. human, but Pharaoh, and Egypt, believe him to be a god himself. The plagues were increasing power moves of one divine being against another! Finally Pharaoh admits defeat at the hands of the God of Abraham & Sarah, Isaac & Rebekah, and Jacob, Leah, & Rachel. In this last attempt, he is reminded that God is God and Pharaoh is no more than an idol, though a living one, at the cost of his army, lost in the sea. God's purposes will not be undone. The people see the mighty hand and outstretched arm of God saving them once again from Pharaoh, and they follow God further into the wilderness. Like Pharaoh, they too will forget about God's power, but God will remind them along the way to the Promised Land--there will be plenty of time!

Bible Study Brief: Genesis 22

Sunday, February 21

Genesis 22:1-18

The story of the binding of Isaac, or the (near) sacrifice of Isaac, is perhaps one of the most perplexing of all scripture, particularly to modern Western readers. Why would God, who we learned in the Genesis story created everything for sheer delight, test a most faithful follower in such a brutal way? Why would God destroy the one link that will keep this new covenant intact?

It is a difficult story, which a happy ending does not make easier along the way. There are, however, some glimmers of hope in the story.

1, God calls Abraham directly and by name. Abraham's name means "Father of Multitudes", so we have a clue that God still expects Abraham to hold this position of honor. He's already been told that Isaac will be the one to carry on the covenant, not Ishmael (born of the slave-wife Hagar) or anyone else in his household.

2, Abraham appeases young Isaac's curiosity by assuring him that "God will provide for the sacrifice". Even if Abraham thinks Isaac is the sacrificial lamb, we can hope with Isaac that God will provide something else.

3, We know (Abraham does not) from the beginning that this is a test. By the end we can see that it is not simple obedience that is being tested; Abraham has already proven that by leaving his homeland, waiting for Sarah's pregnancy, and heeding God's instruction. The test seems to be about Abraham's respect, fear, awe, and reverence for God; how much will he do to show his love for this God?

Remember, at this point in scripture YHWH is still a new idea. God is distinguishing Godself from other gods around at the time. Child sacrifice may have been a "common" or at least not surprising religious practice. YHWH shows that this God is a different god--not only not requiring but not wanting human sacrifice. (Animal sacrifice will be acceptable until the time of the prophets.)

So what we learn in this story is that God is a different kind of God, not wanting sacrifice, providing what is needed (both a son for the covenant and an animal for the sacrifice) and keeping and even expanding the covenant. It is difficult to get past the violence, but the violence isn't the only thing in the story. Ultimately God is still about life; it's almost a resurrection story, when death seemed sure and God provided for life.