Notes

HOSEA IN HIS TIME

1. Jeroboam I reigned from 931 to 910 BC, Jeroboam II from 793 to 753. The Jeroboam mentioned in Hosea 1:1 is Jeroboam II.

CHAPTER 1

1. See Isaiah 20; Jeremiah 27—28; Ezekiel 4:1–8; 5:1ff.; 12:1–16; 24:15ff.

2. When you study the commentaries, you discover a number of different views defended: (1) Gomer was a pure woman who later became a prostitute and bore Hosea three children; (2) Gomer was a pure woman who became a prostitute and bore Hosea a son, but also gave birth to a daughter and son who were not fathered by Hosea; (3) Gomer was a prostitute from the beginning and bore Hosea three children; (4) Gomer was a prostitute from the beginning and bore Hosea his own son, but also bore two children by another man; (5) Gomer was a prostitute who already had three children, but Hosea ultimately divorced her and married another woman who was an adulteress (3:1). It’s easy to lose sight of the main message God wanted to get across: He loved His people and wanted them to return that love to Him. They were committing evil by worshipping idols, just like a woman who is unfaithful to her husband. They were not only sinning against God’s law, but also sinning against God’s love. As to the legitimacy of the children, the fact that 1:6 and 8 don’t read “and bore him a daughter … a son” does not mean Hosea wasn’t the father of these children. It seems natural to assume from the context that Hosea is the father. See Genesis 30:17–24 for a similar statement.

3. TLB reads, “Go and marry a girl who is a prostitute.”

4. In Scripture, a change of names is often evidence of God’s gracious working in people’s lives. Abram became Abraham, and Sarai was renamed Sarah (Gen. 17). Simon became Peter (John 1:42), and Saul of Tarsus became Paul (Paulus means “little”).

5. Paul quoted Hosea 1:10 and 2:23 in Romans 9:25–26 to prove that the salvation of the Gentiles was always a part of God’s plan. He applied “not my people” to the Gentiles as he did in Ephesians 2:11–22. In the early church, some of the more legalistic believers thought that the Gentiles had to first become Jews before they could be Christians (Acts 10—11; 15), but Paul defended the gospel of the grace of God and proved that both Jews and Gentiles are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

6. The Hebrew words referring to prostitutes and prostitution (KJV, “whoredom,” “harlotries”) are used twenty-two times in Hosea’s prophecy (1:2, 2:2, 4–5; 3:3, 4:10–15, 18; 5:3–4; 6:10; 9:1). Words connected with adultery are used six times (2:2; 3:1; 4:2, 13–14; 7:4). God looked upon His covenant relationship with His people as a marriage, and He saw their idolatry as marital unfaithfulness.

7. Hebrew law stated that a divorced woman could not return to her former husband and marry him again (Deut. 24:1–4). God gave unfaithful Israel a “divorce” in that He no longer shared His intimacy and His mercies with her (Isa. 50:1; Jer. 3:1–5). One day He will take her back and restore the broken relationship and heal their land (Isa. 54:4–8; 62:4).

8. Kyle M. Yates, Preaching From the Prophets (New York: Harper and Brothers, 1942), 53.

CHAPTER 2

1. See Hosea 2:8, 20; 5:4; 8:2; 11:3; 13:4–5.

2. Compare Hosea 4:3 with Genesis 9:8–11 and Revelation 4:7–11, and you will see that God takes seriously His covenant with creation. He will one day judge those who destroy the earth (Rev. 11:18). The basis for ecology is not politics or comfort but the holy law of God. We are stewards of God’s creation.

3. Jesus said to the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well, “You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews” (John 4:22 NKJV). So much for the Samaritan religion or for any other man-made system of worship!

4. “A stick of wood” (Hos. 4:12 NIV; KJV, “their staff”) may refer to the idol or to the heathen practice called rhabdomancy. (The Greek word rhabdos means “a rod.”) The priest drew a circle on the ground and divided it into sections, with each section assigned a meaning. A rod was held in the center and then allowed to fall, and where it fell revealed the future.

5. Hosea 4:14 is a clear statement that God expects sexual purity and marital faithfulness from both men and women. In Israel, the men often got away with their sexual sins, while the women were punished. See Genesis 38 and John 8 for tragic examples of an unbiblical one-sided morality. Where was the man who assisted the woman in committing adultery? Wasn’t he also supposed to be punished? See Leviticus 20:10 and Deuteronomy 22:22.

6. At one time, Gilgal was a sacred place where the Word of God was taught (2 Kings 2:1; 4:38). How quickly religious institutions can drift from their mooring and abandon the faith!

7. This may mean literal illegitimate children because of sexual promiscuity or children who were not a part of the covenant because of the sins of their parents during the pagan fertility rites. The sins of the fathers bring tragic consequences in the lives of the children.

8. Even Judah will be included in this discipline (Hos. 5:10). The Assyrians devastated Judah but were unable to capture Jerusalem, for God delivered King Hezekiah and his people in a miraculous way. See Isaiah 36—37. The sin of Judah, according to Hosea, was that of seizing territory that wasn’t rightfully theirs, like people who moved the boundary markers in order to increase their holding (Deut. 19:14; Isa. 5:8; Mic. 2:2).

9. The phrase “King Jareb” in Hosea 5:13 (KJV, NASB) is translated “the great king” in the NIV. The Hebrew word means “to contend, to strive.” This could be a nickname for the king of Assyria, such as “King Contention.” Israel and Judah turned to the king of Assyria for help and all he did was pick a fight!

10. This is made clear in 1 John 1, where the phrase “if we say” is repeated three times. See also King Saul’s “religious lies” in 1 Samuel 15:10–35.

11. Since the Hebrew word translated “Adam” means “red earth,” it’s been suggested that verse 7 be translated, “They have treated the covenant like dirt.”Adam also stands for mankind in general, so we might translate it, “Like mere humans, they have transgressed the covenant.”

12. Dr. Leon Wood translated Hosea 8:5, “Your calf stinks!” The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Frank E. Gaebelein, gen. ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1985), vol. 7, 201. J. B. Phillips isn’t quite that blunt in his translation: “Samaria, I reject your calf with loathing!” Four Prophets: A Translation Into Modern English (New York: Macmillan, 1963), 41.

13. The adults sin and the children have to suffer: “Ephraim shall bring forth his children to the murderer” (9:13). When Hosea speaks in verse 14, he asks God to keep the women from having children so they won’t be murdered. He is pleading for mercy for the innocent. See our Lord’s words in Luke 23:29.

14. The vine as a symbol of the Jewish nation is also found in Deuteronomy 32:32; Psalm 80:8–11; Isaiah 5:1–7; and Jeremiah 2:21. The vine also pictures Christ and His church (John 15) and the Gentile world system ripening for judgment in the last days (Rev. 14:17–20).

15. The references to Israel’s past history—Baal-Peor (Hos. 9:10) and Gibeah (9:9; 10:9)—show that “the only thing we learn from history is that we don’t learn from history.” Both of these events brought the judgment of God on the nation, yet later generations turned a blind eye to this fact. The sins of the fathers are committed by their children—and grandchildren.

16. Any group that calls itself “the lost tribes of Israel” is suspect, for only God knows where all the tribes are. See Acts 26:7; James 1:1; and Revelation 7:1–8.

CHAPTER 3

1. The prophet Hosea was very familiar with Jewish history, not only what happened but also why it happened and how it related to the present and the future of his people. He refers to the exodus (2:15; 11:11;12:9, 13; 13:4), the events surrounding Jehu and Jezreel (1:4, 11; 2:22), Achan and the Valley of Achor (2:15), the wickedness of Gibeah (9:9; 10:9), Israel’s sins at Baal-Peor (9:10), the destruction of the cities of the plain (11:8), and events in the life of Jacob (12:3–4, 12).

2. Hebrews 12:11–17 is the classic passage in Scripture on chastening. The Greek word paideia means “the rearing of a child,” because the purpose of discipline is maturity. Sometimes God disciplines us to correct our disobedience, but He may also discipline us when we’re obedient in order to equip us to serve Him better. David is an example of correcting discipline (2 Sam. 12; Ps. 32; 51), while Joseph is an example of perfecting discipline (Gen. 39—42; Ps. 105:16–22). Note that the context of Hebrews 12 is that of athletics, running the race (12:1–3). Athletes must experience the pain of discipline (dieting, exercising, competing) if they ever hope to excel. Nobody ever mastered a sport simply by listening to a lecture or watching a video, as helpful as those encounters may be. At some point, the swimmer must dive into the water, the wrestler must hit the mat, and the runner must take his or her place on the track. Likewise, the children of God must experience the pain of discipline—correcting and perfecting—if they are to mature and become like Jesus Christ.

3. “Israel” is the new name God gave Jacob after struggling with him at Jabbok (Gen. 32:24–32), but scholars aren’t agreed on its meaning. The generally accepted meaning is “prince with God” (i.e., a “God-controlled person”). Others suggest “he persists with God,” which certainly fits the account; for Jacob wrestled with the angel of the Lord and didn’t want to give in. Though Jacob made some mistakes and sometimes trusted his own ingenuity too much, he did persist with God and seek God’s help, and God used him to build the nation of Israel. Some people have been too hard on Jacob, forgetting that believers in that day didn’t have the advantages we have today. God has deigned to call Himself “the God of Jacob,” and that’s a very high compliment to a great man.

4. All of us are Jacobs at heart according to Jeremiah 17:9: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” The Hebrew word translated “deceitful” is the root word for the name “Jacob.” It means “to take by the heel, to supplant.” The English word supplant comes from a Latin word that means to “to overthrow by tripping up.” Jacob tripped up his brother and took his place when it came to both the family birthright and the blessing (Gen. 27:36). Of course, God had given both to Jacob before his birth (25:23), but instead of trusting God, Jacob used his own devices to get what he wanted. Faith is living without scheming.

5. These two names suggest the two aspects of our Lord’s life and ministry, a Man of Sorrows and the resurrected Son exalted to the Father’s right hand.

6. When New Testament writers quoted Old Testament statements, the Holy Spirit directing them had every right to adapt those passages as He wished, since the Spirit is the author of Scripture. Surely God sees much more in His Word than we do! For example, Hosea 11:1 refers to Israel’s exodus from Egypt, but Matthew used it to point to Christ’s coming out of Egypt when a child (Matt. 2:11–15).

7. Biblical images must be studied carefully and identified accurately, for the same image may be used with different meanings in different contexts. The dew is a case in point. In Hosea 6:4, it represents the fleeting religious devotion of the hypocrites, while in 13:3, it symbolizes the transiency of the people who think they’re so secure. Both Jesus and Satan are represented by the lion (Rev. 5:5; 1 Peter 5:8).

JOEL IN HIS TIME

1. The term day of the Lord is used to describe the fall of Israel in 722 BC (Amos 5), the fall of Judah in 586 BC (Ezek. 13:5), and the battle of Carchemish in 605 BC (Jer. 46:10). Each of these local calamities was a precursor of the worldwide judgment that is promised by the prophets and also by our Lord (Matt. 24; Mark 13).

OUTLINE OF THE BOOK OF JOEL

1. The “imminent” day of the Lord refers to the future invasion of Judah by the Assyrians, when the land would be devastated and Jerusalem surrounded by armies. (See Isa. 36—37; 2 Kings 18—19; and 2 Chron. 32.) This occurred during the reign of King Hezekiah (715–686 BC). Jerusalem was miraculously delivered from Assyria by the angel of the Lord who killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in one night. However, not every Old Testament student sees a distinction between I and II. Some see II as an amplification of I. Regardless of how you outline the book, the message remains the same: Each national calamity reminds us that the “day of the Lord” is coming and we must be prepared.

CHAPTER 4

1. In the KJV, the Hebrew word is translated “old men” in 1:2 and 2:28, and “elders” in 1:14 and 2:16. The NIV uses “elders” everywhere except 2:28, where the contrast between “young men” and “old men” is quite obvious. It’s possible that the “old men” were indeed the official elders of the land.

2. The phrase “your God” is used eight times in this book to remind the people of their personal relationship to Jehovah and their accountability to Him (1:13–14; 2:13–14, 23, 26–27; 3:17).

3. “Almighty” is a translation of the Hebrew word Shaddai, which is related to the Hebrew word for “breast.” He is the all-sufficient One, the bountiful One, the God who can do anything. The name is found forty-eight times in the Old Testament, thirty-one of them in the book of Job, where the greatness of God is one of the major themes. “Almighty” is used eight times in the book of Revelation.

4. Why should Joel call the people to repent in order to avoid an invasion that would take place a century later? Because they didn’t know when the invasion would come, and their brokenness before God was the means of postponing it. We look back and see that Isaiah 36—37 fulfilled what Joel wrote, but the people of Judah were looking ahead into an unknown future. It’s always right to repent and submit to the will of God. That’s the best way to secure the future.

5. The repeated use of the word like in 2:4–7 indicates that Joel is using a simile and not describing the actual army. The locusts looked and acted like an army, and the invading Assyrian army would be like them: numerous, ruthless, destructive, and invincible. When you get to 2:8–11, you are reading about real soldiers in a real battle: for locusts don’t worry about swords.

6. God is said to “repent” when from man’s point of view He changes His attitude and turns away His wrath. The word “relent” might be a better choice.

7. Charles H. Spurgeon, Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit (Pasadena, TX: Pilgrim Publications, 1977), vol. 35, 217.

8. There may be a hint here that some of the people were involved in idolatry and needed to turn from heathen vanities and worship only the Lord (Ex. 20:1–6).

CHAPTER 5

1. Note that the phrase “a thousand years” is used six times in Revelation 20:1–7. The Latin word for “thousand years” is millennium; it is used to describe the kingdom Jesus Christ will establish on earth in fulfillment of the Old Testament promises to Israel. However, some students prefer to “spiritualize” these promises and apply them to the church today, and these people are called amillennialists, meaning “no millennium.” Premillennialists are Christians who believe Jesus will return before the kingdom is established, for how can you have a kingdom without the King? There was a time when a postmillennial interpretation was popular: The church would “change the world” and “bring in the kingdom,” and then Jesus would return to reign. The wars and atrocities of this past century and the spread of apostasy in the church have pretty well done away with this optimistic outlook.

2. Some say that the darkening of the sun from noon until three o’clock (Matt. 27:45) and the local earthquake (vv. 51–54) after Jesus’ crucifixion fulfilled Joel’s promise, but Matthew doesn’t say so. Invariably, when something happened that fulfilled Scripture, Matthew calls it to our attention (26:24, 56; 27:9, 35). At least twelve times in his gospel, Matthew uses the word fulfilled to point to an Old Testament messianic prophecy, but he doesn’t include Joel 2:28–32.

3. In Scripture, you sometimes find “near” and “distant” fulfillments of God’s promises. The “near” fulfillment is partial, while the “distant” fulfillment is complete. In 2 Samuel 7, God promised to build David a house. The near fulfillment was the Davidic dynasty that ruled until Judah was exiled to Babylon. The distant fulfillment is found in Jesus Christ, the Son of David, whose reign shall never end (Luke 1:32–33).

4. To make the “valley of decision” a place where lost sinners decide to follow Christ is to twist the Scripture. It is God who makes the decision, and His decision (decree) is to judge and not save. The nations have had their opportunity; now it is too late.

5. Pretribulationists believe that the church will be taken to heaven (raptured) before the day of the Lord breaks upon the world (1 Thess. 1:10; 5:9–10). This event is described in 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18. The saints will then return to the earth with Jesus when He returns in glory to defeat His enemies and establish His kingdom (Rev. 19:11ff.; 2 Thess. 2). Prophetic students differ as to the details of the end-times scenario, but they agree that the world will grow hostile against God, the people of God will suffer persecution, and the Lord will return to conquer His enemies and rescue His people. This is what we are asking when we pray, “Thy kingdom come.”

CHAPTER 6

1. The KJV translates the Hebrew connective “now,” while the NIV and NASB ignore it completely.

2. Jonah’s hometown of Gath Hepher was on the border of Zebulun, one of the northernmost tribes, and therefore extremely vulnerable to the attacks of invaders. Perhaps he had seen what the Assyrians could do.

3. Tarshish was probably in Spain, over one thousand miles west of Joppa. Jonah was supposed to travel east to Nineveh. The Jews weren’t seafarers, but Jonah forgot his prejudices and fears in his attempt to escape doing God’s will.

4. It was at Joppa that Peter got his divine call to go to the Gentiles with the message of the gospel (Acts 10). Though he protested somewhat at first, unlike Jonah, he obeyed God’s call and opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. What a privilege!

5. One exception is when the fall of the Jews brought salvation to the Gentiles (Rom. 11:11ff.). Israel was out of God’s will when they rejected Christ and opposed the gospel, but this opened the door of salvation to the Gentiles.

6. The word translated “regard” means “to look upon with knowledge and approval.” It isn’t only knowing that we’ve sinned that hinders prayer, but holding on to that sin, approving of it, and protecting it. (See 1 John 1:5–10.)

7. It appears that the sailors gave Jonah a nickname: “he who is responsible for causing all this trouble” (Jonah 1:8 NIV). Since the lot had already fallen on Jonah, the crew didn’t need to ask him who was to blame. He was to blame, and they knew it; and that’s why they gave him that embarrassing nickname. The KJV, NASB, and NIV all make the nickname into an unnecessary question.

8. The fact that Jonah wanted to die even after Nineveh was delivered (4:8–9) indicates that his heart was still bitter and unyielding with reference to God’s will. A surrendered servant will say, “Not my will but Thy will be done.”

9. Jonah 1:17 in the English versions is Jonah 2:1 in the Hebrew text.

10. Some expositors believe that Jonah actually died and was resurrected, and base their interpretation on statements in his prayer like “From the depths of the grave [sheol—the realm of the dead] I called for help” (2:2 NIV) and “But you brought my life up from the pit” (v. 6 NIV). But Jonah’s prayer is composed of quotations from at least fifteen different psalms, and while some of these psalms describe near-death experiences, none describes a resurrection miracle. The reference to sheol in verse 2 comes from Psalm 30:3 (and see 16:10 and 18:4–6), and the reference to “the pit” comes from 49:15, both of which were written by David. If these two psalms describe Jonah’s resurrection, then they must also describe David’s resurrection, but we have no evidence that David ever died and was raised to life. Instead, these psalms describe frightening experiences when God delivered His servants from the very gates of death. That seems to be what Jonah is describing as he quotes them in his prayer. Furthermore, if Jonah died and was resurrected, he could not be an accurate type of Christ (Matt. 12:39; 16:4; Luke 11:29); for types picture the antitype but don’t duplicate it, for the antitype is always greater. It’s a dangerous thing to build an interpretation on the poetic language of Scripture when we don’t have a clear New Testament interpretation to lean on.

11. “There is a sin unto death” (1 John 5:17). “The Lord shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb. 10:30–31). Professed believers who play with sin and trifle with God’s loving discipline are asking for trouble. Better that we should die than that we should resist His will and bring disgrace to the name of Christ.

CHAPTER 7

1. Charles H. Spurgeon, Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit (Pasadena, TX: Pilgrim Publication, 1977), vol. 42, 73.

2. “Great” is one of the key words in the book of Jonah. Besides a “great city,” the book mentions a great wind and tempest (1:4, 12); great fear (vv. 10, 16); a great fish (v. 17); great people, probably nobles (3:5, 7); and Jonah’s great displeasure and great gladness (4:1–6).

3. Some date Nineveh’s founding as early as 4500 BC.

4. The early church faced this problem when Peter took the gospel to the Gentiles (Acts 10—11; 15). According to Jewish theology, Gentiles had to become Jews (proselytes) before they could become Christians, but Cornelius and his family and friends were saved simply by believing on Jesus Christ. When Peter said “whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins” (v. 43 NKJV), the people present believed the promise, trusted Christ, and the Holy Spirit came upon them. Peter never got to finish his sermon (10:43–48). The legalistic Jews in the Jerusalem church argued later that Gentiles could not be saved apart from obeying the law of Moses, and Paul had to debate with them to protect the truth of the gospel (Acts 15; Gal. 1). Jonah would have sided with the legalists.

5. Both Moses (Num. 11) and Elijah (1 Kings 19) became so discouraged that they made the same request. We lose our perspective when we focus on ourselves and fail to look by faith to the Lord (Heb. 12:1–2).

6. The phrase in 4:11 “and also much cattle” reminds us of God’s concern for animal life. God preserves both man and beast (Ps. 36:6), and the animals look to God for their provision (104:10–30). God has made a covenant with creation (Gen. 9:1–17); and even in the law of Moses, He shows concern for His creation (Deut. 22:6–7; Lev. 22:26–28). An understanding of God is the basis for a true ecology.

7. Alexander Whyte, Bible Characters from the Old and New Testaments (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1990), 387.

8. Charles H. Spurgeon, 84.

CHAPTER 8

1. Nineveh was destroyed by the Medes and Babylonians in 612 BC, but the empire didn’t collapse immediately. Remnants of the army and of political leadership struggled on until they were overpowered in 609 at the battle of Haran. But when Nineveh fell, it was the death knell for the empire.

2. Lebanon on the north, Carmel on the east, and Bashan on the west were known for their fruitfulness. See Isaiah 2:13; 33:9; and 35:2.

3. Isaiah 10:5–18 explains that Assyria was God’s tool (“the rod of My anger” NKJV) to chasten Judah because of her idolatry, but the Assyrians had gone too far and been too ruthless. In his pride, the king of Assyria had boasted of his past victories, so the Lord announced that He would humble him. This God did when His angel destroyed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in one night (37:36–38; see 10:16).

4. Nahum 1:15 in our English versions is 2:1 in the Hebrew text. What a contrast between the announcement of peace in 1:15 and the declaration of war in 2:1!

5. “Jacob” probably refers to Judah, the southern kingdom, and Israel refers to the northern kingdom that was dispersed by Assyria in 722–721 BC. Since this promise has not been fulfilled, its fulfillment awaits the return of Christ when He will establish His kingdom and restore the splendor of the Jewish nation.

6. This image is not meant to demean women in any way, whether civilians or in the armed forces, or to suggest that women lack strength and courage. The biblical examples of Rahab, Deborah, Jael, Ruth, and Esther prove that Scripture can magnify the courage and service of dedicated women. However, we must keep in mind that the ancient world was a masculine society; women were kept secluded and certainly wouldn’t have been expected to participate in battles. Phrases like “weak as a woman” were current; both Isaiah (19:16) and Jeremiah (50:37; 51:30) used them.

OUTLINE OF THE BOOK OF HABAKKUK

1. The four statements in italics are the three assurances God gave to Habakkuk in the midst of the “woes.” They remind us that, no matter how difficult life may become, God’s promises can be trusted (v. 4), His glory will one day prevail (v. 14), and He is on His holy throne in complete control of people and events (v. 20). When Habakkuk realized this, he broke out into singing (chap. 3).

CHAPTER 9

1. Paul quoted verse 5 at the close of his message in the synagogue in Antioch of Pisidia (Acts 13:41; and see also Isa. 29:14). It was a warning to the people not to treat the gospel lightly and thereby reject it. The original statement to Habakkuk referred to the coming of the Babylonians, but Paul applied it to the saving work of Jesus Christ and the offer of the gospel. Both were incredible works of God.

2. What Habakkuk suffered in a small way, Job suffered in a great way, and God’s answer to Job’s many questions was simply to reveal Himself to Job. We don’t live on explanations, we live on promises, and the promises of God are based on the character of God. The turning point in Job’s experience came when he put his hand on his mouth, stopped arguing with the Lord, and began to worship the Lord (Job 40:1–5; 42:1–6). Habakkuk had a similar experience. There’s nothing like a fresh view of the glory of God to give you strength for the journey!

3. Jeremiah would fill in the details and explain that the people would be in exile for seventy years. After that, a remnant would return to Judah, rebuild the temple, and establish the nation. See Jeremiah 25 and 29.

4. His question “Why are you silent?” (v. 13 NIV) has been asked by both saints and sinners for centuries. Of course, God is not silent, because He speaks through His Word to those who have ears to hear. He spoke the loudest at Calvary when His beloved Son died on the cross; for the atonement is God’s final and complete answer to the sins of the world. Because of the cross, God is both “just and the justifier” (Rom. 3:26). He has both upheld His holy law and manifested His loving heart. Sin has been judged and the way has been opened for sinners to become the children of God. Nobody can complain about such a wise and loving answer!

CHAPTER 10

1. Commentators and translators don’t agree on what “that he may run that readeth it” (v. 2) really means. The NIV translates it “so that a herald may run with it” and the NASB says “[so] that the one who reads it may run.” The NRSV translates it “so that a runner may read it,” and F. F. Bruce puts it “so that one who reads it may read with ease” (An Exegetical and Expository Commentary on the Minor Prophets, edited by Thomas E. McComiskey [Baker Book House, 1993], vol. 2, 858). Bruce explains the phrase to mean “not that the person who reads it will start running, but rather that the reader will be able to take it in at a glance, so large and legible is the writing; the eye will run over the text with ease.” That seems to be what the Lord said to Habakkuk.

2. The KJV translation of 2:6b is a bit puzzling: “And to him that ladeth himself with thick clay!” The image seems to be that of a creditor giving a pledge to the banker (a clay tablet) and promising to pay his debt at a specific time. Habakkuk wrote, “The predator (Babylon) is really a creditor and his victims will one day rise up to collect what is due. It will be payday!” F. F. Bruce translates verse 6b: “Woe to him who multiplies what is not his own—but for how long? And loads himself with pledges” (F. F. Bruce, 864).

3. Jesus used the image of the stones crying out when He cleansed the temple and the children sang His praises (Luke 19:40). If people don’t praise God, inanimate nature will do it! The idea of stones bearing witness goes back to Joshua 24:27.

4. Isaiah promised that “the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord” (11:9), a phrase that relates to Numbers 14:21. When the seraphim before God’s throne look upon the earth, they see it full of God’s glory (Isa. 6:3), though it may not look glorious from our perspective. When we pray “Thy kingdom come,” we are praying for Habakkuk 2:14 to be fulfilled. “Let the whole earth be filled with his glory” (Ps. 72:19).

5. Some see in this the picture of the conqueror giving the conquered rulers a cup of poison to drink. However, the emphasis seems to be on disgrace rather than death.

CHAPTER 11

1. We don’t know what the Hebrew word Shigionoth means. Some scholars trace it to a root that means “to reel to and fro,” so perhaps Shigionoth was a musical term that told the people how the psalm was to be sung. Three times in the psalm you find “Selah” (vv. 3, 9, 13), another Hebrew word whose meaning and significance are still a mystery. Some say it marks a pause in the psalm for the reader (or singer and listeners) to ponder what was said.

2. The phrase “in the midst of the years” (3:2) probably refers to the period between Habakkuk’s time and “the appointed time” when the vision would be fulfilled (2:3). Throughout the centuries, God’s people have prayed for quickening power so that God’s great work will prosper. While the word revival as we think of it wasn’t in Habakkuk’s mind, the concept is there. See Psalms 44 and 85.

3. Writing about his experience at the Transfiguration (2 Peter 1:15–21), the apostle Peter points out that the written Word is superior to glorious experiences. Only a few people can have rapturous experiences, but any believer can ponder them in the Word with the Spirit’s help. The people who had these great experiences have died, but the Word lives on. The memories of experiences will fade, but the Word remains the same. We now have a completed Bible, so the New Testament sheds light on the experiences of people like Moses, David, and the prophets; and we can see things that perhaps they didn’t see. So, instead of saying, “I wish I could have that kind of experience,” we should be asking, “Lord, what do You want to teach me from this experience?”

4. These mighty revelations of God in history are called “theophanies,” from two Greek words meaning “an appearance of a god.” For other examples, see Psalms 18; 68; and 77; and Exodus 15 and 19; and Deuteronomy 33.

5. The KJV has “measured” while the NIV has “shook” (v. 6). It all depends on what root you select, the Hebrew or the Arabic. Perhaps both ideas are included.

6. For other poetic descriptions of Israel’s history, see Psalms 44; 68; 74; 78; 80; 83; 89; 105–106; 135; and 136.

7. William Cowper’s hymn “God Moves in a Mysterious Way” is based partly on this hymn in Habakkuk 3.

8. G. Campbell Morgan, The Westminster Pulpit (London: Pickering and Inglis, 1970), vol. 6, 153.

OUTLINE OF THE BOOK OF MALACHI

1. Note that the book of Malachi is written as a dialogue between God and the people: God accused and they answer to defend themselves. See 1:2, 6–7, 12–13; 2:14, 17; 3:7–8, 13–14. Note also Malachi’s emphasis on the name of God (1:6, 11, 14; 2:2, 5; 3:16; 4:2) and his reminder that God wants His name to be known by the Gentiles (1:11; 3:12).

CHAPTER 12

1. Eugene Peterson, Run with the Horses (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1983), 69.

2. The word shema is Hebrew for “hear,” the first word in the prayer.

3. In His sovereign grace, God often rearranged the birth order of children. Abel was older than Seth, but God chose Seth (Gen. 4:25–26). Ishmael was Abraham’s firstborn son, but God bypassed him for Isaac (17:15–22). Manasseh was Joseph’s firstborn, but God gave the blessing to Ephraim (48:13–22). This may be a reminder to us that in our first birth we are undone and without blessing, but because of the new birth, the second birth, we are “blessed with all spiritual blessings” in Christ (Eph. 1:3).

4. Zechariah 2:12 is the only place in Scripture where Palestine is called “the holy land.” Malachi 3:12 calls it “a delightful land” (NIV); and it is also called a “Beautiful Land” (Dan. 11:41 NIV; “glorious”), “the Lord’s land” (Hos. 9:3), and “the pleasant land” (Zech. 7:14).

5. For a full discussion of the verse, see The Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties by Gleason L. Archer (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1982), 305–306.

6. Some people are surprised that a God of love could hate anything, but see Proverbs 6:16–19, as well as Psalms 5:5 and 11:5; Amos 5:21; Zechariah 8:17; and Revelation 2:6 and 15. “Ye who love the Lord, hate evil!” (Ps. 97:10) and see 139:21–22.

7. If God hates divorce, then why did He allow it? God permitted the Jews to divorce their wives if the wives were given a certificate that protected their reputation so they could be married again. However, they could not return to their first husband (Deut. 24:1–4). Jesus made it clear that the permission of divorce was a concession and not a commandment (Matt. 19:1–12), but God, the Author of marriage, can do it. Good and godly people disagree on the interpretation and application of the New Testament teachings concerning divorce and remarriage, and few if any are consistent in the way they handle the matter. It would appear that sexual sin would be grounds for divorce, and so would desertion (1 Cor. 7:12–16).

8. Deuteronomy 22:30 reads literally, “A man should not marry his father’s wife; he must not uncover the corner of his father’s garment.”

CHAPTER 13

1. Keep in mind that the old covenant was not ended by the birth of Jesus in the manger but by the death of Jesus on the cross. John’s ministry took place at the close of the old dispensation, so strictly speaking, he was an Old Testament prophet.

2. Some of the old editions of the Bible made this same mistake in their chapter headings. If the chapter was about blessing, the caption read “God’s blessing on the church,” but if it was about judgment the heading said, “God’s judgment on the Jews.” Yet the Bible tells us that “judgment must begin at the house of God” (1 Peter 4:17).

3. The offering mentioned in 1 Corinthians 16:1–3 was not a regular weekly offering received at a meeting of God’s people. It was a special “relief offering” Paul was receiving from the Gentile believers to give aid to the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem.

4. Multitudes of people have testified to the blessing of regular systematic proportionate giving. However, we must remember that even after we’ve given generously to the Lord, what remains is still His, for we are stewards of everything He gives us. Giving a tithe doesn’t mean we have the right to use the remaining 90 percent for ourselves.