Lessons from Nahum, Amos and Obadiah

For the past few months we have been reading and seeking the Lord's message in the prophetic messages of His great prophets Nahum, Amos and Obadiah. These three prophets seems to hold together as a subgroup. Here are some of the conclusions and findings in the matter:

1. From Amos, we see the word "breaches" in a wall. What would be breaches in the Church?
   1. Bob: like protestant denominations;
   2. Joe: pride;
   3. Bob: sins, disobedience, bitterness, hatred;
   4. Len: it reminds me of the prophecy that Jesus would rebuild the temple in three days.

2. How is the prophecy of Amos applicable to our present situation?
   1. Len: We are still obligated to spread the Word.
3. Can you think of a modern day example of violence, one nation to another, similar to the violence that Red Edom did to Israel?
   1. Len: In the decapitation of European Jews by Nazis, the neighboring countries were like Edom, e.g., the Vichy government in France.
   2. Ken: Herod mocking Jesus. In fact, Herod actually was an Edomite!
   3. Bob: taunting someone, which we did as kids but we grew out of it.
   4. Scott: For instance, when you take the side of the "cool" kid at school who bullies the uncool kid.
   5. Ken: the Edom betrayal in the day of Israel's calamity is a good comparison to the beatitudes, especially the first and the last, which show how we should behave instead of doing like Edom did.
4. Why does Obadiah's prophetic message affect our mission as doers of the Word?
   1. TO BE ANSWERED FORTHWITH

Image: UPI/Kevin Dietsch. A Haitian who was badly burned when a gas station exploded following recent earthquake is treated onboard the USS Bataan, off the coast of Haiti, January 23, 2010.

Conclusion of the matter

Here are some of the comments and conclusions from this morning's Bible study session, question by question.

1. The Lord considers Nineveh a bloody city. Is there any city on Earth today that you consider to be a bloody city? Is it like Nineveh?
   1. Len: Amsterdam, New Orleans, San Francisco for debauchery, which the prophet Nahum mentions in the same breath as blood.
   2. Scott: Hating an entire city is like what terrorists do.
   3. Bob: Mexican border cities, overrun by murder by drug lords and criminals.
   4. Scott: Somalia is a lawless place, where life means nothing.
   5. Dave: Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge regime.
   6. Joe: the bloody description of Nineveh reminds one of Civil War battles, line after line of men charging the merciless guns.
2. How can a nation like Assyria enslave another nation by prostitution? What kind of prostitution would that be?
   1. Ken: prostitution in this case is like the Nazis recruiting collaborators in France by selling access to their military and political power.
3. Same question, regarding witchcraft: What kind of witchcraft can enslave a nation and end with bloody subjugation?
   1. Ken: Like being spellbound by government handouts and giving credence to the government's every pronouncement.
   2. Ken: Being spellbound by moral relativism, as mentioned in Abolition of Man, by C. S. Lewis.
4. How does this prophecy of Nahum relate to our lives today? What does it make you feel?
   1. Bob: It makes me want to pray more.
   2. Scott: Be like Rachel's Vineyard.
   3. Joe: Be like Tobit, practicing the works of mercy.

Joe's conculsion to the matter makes a lot of sense.

More questions -- but can you answer them?

We study Nahum's prophecy, the third chapter. Here are some questions to consider: The Lord considers Nineveh a bloody city. Is there any city on Earth today that you consider to be a bloody city? Is it like Nineveh? How can a nation like Assyria enslave another nation by prostitution? What kind of prostitution would that be? Same question, regarding witchcraft: What kind of witchcraft can enslave a nation and end with bloody subjugation? The prophetic word compares the ruin of Nineveh to what action in verses 5 and 6? Does the Lord expect Nineveh to get a dose of its own medicine, regarding its earlier conquest of No-ammon a.k.a. Thebes on the the Nile? How does the last verse, 3:19, relate to the book of Tobit?

Inscription of Assyrian king Sargon II, describing a conquest after which he flayed the skin of the conquered governor, Assur-Lei.

We will take a walk through these questions, and see whether the perfect law of freedom, God's word, can speak clearly in this our day and help us become doers of the Word.

We begin the prophecy of Nahum

The book of Tobit mentions the prophecy of Nahum, so we will now study through this short prophetic book. Here are some questions to start with:

1. What is a the job of a true prophet of the Lord?
2. We know that Nahum prophesies about Nineveh -- but not in chapter 1. How does the Lord taking vengeance in general -- e.g., Nahum 1:2 -- bear on the situation in Nineveh?
3. Similarly, how is the Lord being a stronghold important to the situation in Nineveh?
4. Is this first chapter a prediction type of prophecy?

Let's tackle these and other questions on Thursday morning.