CONSIDER WHAT IT MEANS TO BE FAITHFUL to God when violent enemies press hard upon you. The prophets Jonah, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah offer God’s hope and resources in the midst of personal and societal crises. They still speak to people who struggle to deal with violence. Jonah’s struggle was with Nineveh, Assyria. The others struggled with the new power of Babylon, which destroyed Nineveh (Nahum) and would later destroy Judah (Habakkuk/Zephaniah). In each case God gave them words that are still timely. How should we think about the successes of terror in our world? How might we live with integrity in the midst of its threat? These prophets lived through situations in which God provided a word to sustain and strengthen his people.
I am grateful to my students, many who are now pastors and teachers, who read these texts with me in Hebrew classes. They provided an opportunity to read patiently and to soak in the rich prophetic language. I am thankful for the dedication and insights of my teachers, who are too many to be comprehensively named. Most may be found listed in the bibliography. I am especially grateful to Fredrick Carlson Holmgren and Terence E. Fretheim for their friendship and for demonstrating their care for and delight in the biblical text. Special thanks are also due to Bob Hubbard for his counsel, as well as to Andrew Dearman and Verlyn Verbrugge, who read the manuscript and improved it for the reader. I am thankful to all the people at Zondervan for the opportunity to deepen my appreciation for these biblical books and write about them.
I am indebted to those who gave me support during the labor of writing: North Park University and the Seminary administration provided a sabbatical for my research; the Oxford Center for Hebrew and Jewish Studies provided kind hospitality; the seminary faculty and staff encouraged me; librarians Ann Briody and Norma Sutton lent their expert help; student assistants Liang-Her Wu, Andrew Fortuine, and Karl Freeberg found what I needed when I needed it; my teaching assistant Paul Corner proofread the manuscript and created the indexes.
Whatever help you find in this volume for living a life of integrity before God in difficult circumstances is due, in part, to my father, the late Rev. Donald J. Bruckner. Every week he inquired about this book in detail. He encouraged me, raised hermeneutical questions, and laughed long with joy at any insight uncovered. My three sons also deserve credit. They gave me permission to write in the evenings (and sometimes on Saturdays) by their smiles and genuine words.
I dedicate this volume to my wife Kris. She not only encouraged and sustained me, but she listened long and often to new ways of expressing the meaning of these four books. Her patience and incisive questions lightened the burden. She was the first reader and her writing expertise makes this a better commentary.
James K. Bruckner
North Park Theological Seminary
February 2004