Welcome to Bible Fiber where we are encountering the textures and shades of the prophetic tapestry in a year-long study of the twelve minor prophets, one prophet each month. I am Shelley Neese, president of The Jerusalem Connection, a Christian organization devoted to sharing the story of the people of Israel, both ancient and modern. 

I am sorry about the prolonged break between our last episode of Haggai and today. My family made a cross country move this summer from Mississippi to Arizona. Only now is life starting to normalize again. I am thankful to have my commentaries, podcast equipment, and coffee pot all unpacked and part of my daily orbit again.

This week we are starting the book of Zechariah, “son of Berechiah, son of Iddo,” according to the book’s superscription (1:1). Both Ezra (5:1) and Nehemiah (12:16) refer to Zechariah only as the son of Iddo and omit the “son of Berechiah.” Commentators theorize that Berechiah, his father, must have died in exile, leaving Zechariah in the care of his grandfather Iddo. In Nehemiah’s genealogy, he listed Zechariah son of Iddo as one of the heads of the priestly families (12:16). 

The name Zechariah was surely common, but it is highly unlikely that among the early waves of returnees were two Zechariahs, sons of Iddo. Assuming Nehemiah’s Zechariah is the same as the literary prophet, we learn a great deal from this otherwise simple introduction in the first verse. Zechariah was both a priest and a prophet, in the same vein as Ezekiel and Jeremiah. He also must have been young when he returned from exile to be serving as priest almost seventy years later in the time of Nehemiah. 

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Welcome to Bible Fiber where we are encountering the textures and shades of the prophetic tapestry in a year-long study of the twelve minor prophets, one prophet each month. I am Shelley Neese, president of The Jerusalem Connection, a Christian organization devoted to sharing the story of the people of Israel, both ancient and modern. 

This week we are reading the second chapter of Haggai. We know a good deal about the historical background to Haggai’s prophecies because of the book of Ezra. Ezra names Haggai as a prophet who ministered to the regathered Jews in Judah (5:1-2; 6:14). However, we know nothing of Haggai’s patrimony or biographical profile. For example, Ezra did not include Haggai in his extensive list of the first wave of returnees from Babylon, a notable omission. Perhaps, Haggai was in a subsequent wave, or Haggai never left Judah at all. The Babylonians did not deport all the Jews in Judea, only the prominent citizens. Possibly, Haggai’s parents were among the “poorest people of the land” (2 Kings 24:14). If so, Haggai was prophesying as a local Jerusalemite who had been awaiting the return of his people, living among the ashes of Jerusalem his whole life. 

The word of the Lord came to Haggai for the second time on October 17, 520 BCE. This was the seventh day of Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles. We know that fact because of Haggai’s precise dating formula, but the prophet makes no specific mention of the holiday. Interestingly, the name Haggai is connected to chag, Hebrew for festival. 

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Welcome to Bible Fiber where we are encountering the textures and shades of the prophetic tapestry in a year-long study of the twelve minor prophets, one prophet each month. I am Shelley Neese, president of The Jerusalem Connection, a Christian organization devoted to sharing the story of the people of Israel, both ancient and modern. 

This week we are reading the second chapter of Haggai. We know a good deal about the historical background to Haggai’s prophecies because of the book of Ezra. Ezra names Haggai as a prophet who ministered to the regathered Jews in Judah (5:1-2; 6:14). However, we know nothing of Haggai’s patrimony or biographical profile. For example, Ezra did not include Haggai in his extensive list of the first wave of returnees from Babylon, a notable omission. Perhaps, Haggai was in a subsequent wave, or Haggai never left Judah at all. The Babylonians did not deport all the Jews in Judea, only the prominent citizens. Possibly, Haggai’s parents were among the “poorest people of the land” (2 Kings 24:14). If so, Haggai was prophesying as a local Jerusalemite who had been awaiting the return of his people, living among the ashes of Jerusalem his whole life. 

Welcome to Bible Fiber where we are encountering the textures and shades of the prophetic tapestry in a year-long study of the twelve minor prophets, one prophet each month. I am Shelley Neese, president of The Jerusalem Connection, a Christian organization devoted to sharing the story of the people of Israel, both ancient and modern. 

This week we are reading the prophet Haggai, the first prophet to break the divine silence after the exiles returned from Babylon. A century has passed since Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah first warned the people of Judah that divine punishment at the hands of the Babylonians was near certain. The prophets promised that a remnant would survive the exile, return, and rebuild. For Haggai, the remnant was not eschatological. The remnant was his audience. And good news: the remnant’s response to Haggai’s exhortation is refreshingly positive. The ears that went deaf to preexilic prophets are now actively keen to hear out the postexilic prophets. 

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We had a little break since our last Bible Fiber. I was in Israel helping with the writing for a new documentary called Uncovering the Tabernacle which should be out by November 2022. If you want to learn more about the documentary, go to www.geshermedia.com or follow Gesher Media on Facebook for behind-the-scenes photos. 

This week we are closing out the prophet Zephaniah. Zephaniah’s condemnation of nations in chapter 2 was a rhetorical device. Listeners in Judea surely agreed with the prophet about the urgent need to punish their enemies. As covenant people, they presumptuously anticipated their own pardon. Granted, Assyria destroyed the Kingdom of Israel, but they felt Judah was different. Judah had Jerusalem, the place of God’s presence. Even when Assyria destroyed Israel a century before, Judah was shown mercy (Hos. 1:6). Mercy once shown became mercy taken for granted.

Accountability of the Chosen

In chapter 3, the prophet narrows his focus and points the finger at His listening audience. God is angry with Jerusalem. Jerusalem is guilty of the same sinful behavior as the nations and they will be punished accordingly. He writes, “Woe, soiled, defiled, oppressing city! It has listened to no voice; it has accepted no correction” (3:1-2). Jerusalem has become so self-exalting that the chosen city is no longer capable of hearing God’s voice. 

God chose Israel to be a light to the world. God entrusted His laws to them on Mount Sinai so they could create a just, free, and fair society in covenant relationship with Him. By Zephaniah’s day, they were neglecting both the revelations of God and His fellowship. The world outside of Judah lacked a standard for moral and ethical behavior. And still, God held them accountable for their arrogance and violence. Judah, however, knew the ways of God. Therefore, God held them to an even higher standard. 

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Welcome to Bible Fiber where we are encountering the textures and shades of the prophetic tapestry in a year-long study of the twelve minor prophets, one prophet each month. I am Shelley Neese, president of The Jerusalem Connection, a Christian organization devoted to sharing the story of the people of Israel, both ancient and modern.

This week we are reading the second chapter of Zephaniah, a prophet who, like Jeremiah, ministered during the reign of the righteous King Josiah. Slightly before this time, Nahum prophesied Assyria’s ruin and Habakkuk envisioned the rise of the Babylonians. It was also during Josiah’s reign that the Book of the Law was rediscovered during renovations at the Temple. Hulda, a prophetess in Jerusalem, authenticated the scriptures. She warned King Josiah that God was soon going to discipline all those who have forsaken the covenant (2 Kings 22:3-13; 2 Chron. 34:14-21). This makes for at least five biblical prophets in the seventh century BCE all sounding the same siren. They are prophets living on the precipice of disaster and there is an urgency to their unified call. 
 
 As I mentioned in the last podcast, the context clues in Zephaniah link his oracles to the early part of Josiah’s reign, before the king tried to purge the nation of paganism. Jeremiah came a bit after. His book says he first received the word of the Lord in the thirteenth year of Josiah’s reign (Jer. 1:2), slightly in the middle of Josiah’s campaign of reforms.

Still, Zephaniah’s descriptions of Judah’s failures in chapter 1 correspond exactly with Jeremiah’s complaints. The people of Judah were committing the same sins of idolatry, injustice, and immorality that led to Israel’s judgement a hundred years earlier. With all the prophets delivering the same warning message, it is shocking that most of Judah still believed Jerusalem, God’s chosen city, was impenetrable to attack. Not until the Babylonians had the city surrounded did they understand the seriousness of the situation. 

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Welcome to Bible Fiber where we are encountering the textures and shades of the prophetic tapestry in a year-long study of the twelve minor prophets, one prophet each month. I am Shelley Neese, president of The Jerusalem Connection, a Christian organization devoted to sharing the story of the people of Israel, both ancient and modern.

This week we begin the book of Zephaniah, the prophet most extreme in his language but simplest in subject matter. Zephaniah envisions the Day of Yahweh as both near at hand and terrifying in action. Most prophets incorporate a Day of Yahweh motif, but Zephaniah is the only book wholly devoted to the day. By day, the prophets do not mean a 24-hour cycle, but an event, or series of events. 

Superscription

Zephaniah’s introduction includes an extended genealogy: “the word of the Lord that came to Zephaniah son of Cushi son of Gedaliah son of Amariah son of Hezekiah” (1:1). No other prophet traces his genealogy back four generations. In some cases, they follow the custom of adding the name of their father to their own name, but Zephaniah goes much further back. Why is Zephaniah breaking the normal convention? One theory is that he is highlighting the credentials of his royal lineage. He stopped on Hezekiah. Is his great-great-grandfather King Hezekiah (716-686 BCE), known for being “good and right and faithful before the Lord his God” (2 Chron. 31:20).

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This week we are closing out the book of Habakkuk. Habakkuk 3 is traditionally read in synagogue services on the second day of Shavuot, or Feast of Weeks. Shavuot, which falls this year in June, is the Jewish holiday to celebrate the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai (Ex. 19). On the Christian calendar, Shavuot links to Pentecost. 

Why read Habakkuk in remembrance of the Sinai theophany? Well, Habakkuk, in its own way, is a historic recount of the signs and wonders that accompanied the rescue of the Hebrews “in the days of her youth” (Hos. 2:15). In the prophet’s prayer of praise, he describes Yahweh as a cloud-riding divine warrior king. He alludes repeatedly to the events of the Exodus, wilderness wanderings, and Sinai. Habakkuk is looking forward to a future day when God will intervene in a dramatic way again, saving the people of Judah from exile and oppression. This portion of Habakkuk was composed for public reading and communal worship. I believe its incorporation into Shavuot liturgy is a fulfillment of the prophet’s intent. 

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Welcome to Bible Fiber where we are encountering the textures and shades of the prophetic tapestry in a year-long study of the twelve minor prophets, one prophet each month. I am Shelley Neese, president of The Jerusalem Connection, a Christian organization devoted to sharing the story of the people of Israel, both ancient and modern.

This week we are studying the second chapter of Habakkuk. The dialogue between God and Habakkuk continues with God addressing Habakkuk’s second question: Why does God tolerate the wicked persecuting the righteous? (Hab. 1:13). 

Habakkuk does not offer a prescription for how he thinks God should right all that has gone wrong in Judah. In the prophet’s mind, perhaps God should have appointed a new judge, like Samuel, who could rectify the problems of the judicial system. Or perhaps Judah needed a warrior king like David to bring peace to Jerusalem. Or they needed a reformer like Josiah who would rid the nation of idolatry. Instead, God told the prophet he was raising up the Babylonians as the instrument of his judgement. 

The answer tormented Habakkuk. Like the other prophets, he saw the futility behind the endless cycle of violence. In his day, Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon were in a constant power struggle. What one empire built up, the next tore down. The smaller nations, like Judah, stayed vulnerable to the revolving door of conquering armies. The prophets were Yahweh’s megaphone, reminding His people that all empires were accountable to Yahweh (Jer. 25:31) and the way they worshipped their own military might was repulsive to Yahweh (Hos 8:14; Mic. 7:16). 

Habakkuk stands out among the prophets as he was determined to get an answer as to why God associated Himself with the wrangling of earthly empires. Habakkuk’s problem from the start of his book has not been that another pagan army is coming for Judah. He wants to know why God has a hand in the process.

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This week we are studying the first chapter of Habakkuk. More than any of the other prophetic books, Habakkuk provides a glimpse into the nature of the relationship between Yahweh and his messengers. Habakkuk is not delivering an oracle to the people. His book is not a recording of a sermon with “Thus saith” or “Woe to you.” His book is a prayer dialogue that was once personal and became public. What we find in his back and forth with God is a bold honesty on the part of the prophet and a gentle sincerity emanating from Yahweh. 

Superscription 

Habakkuk does not provide much in the way of a biographical sketch in his superscription, not his town of origin, his father’s name, or the name of any reigning kings during his ministry. Even his name is of questionable etymology. Habak either stems from the Hebrew word for “embrace” or an Akkadian root for garden flower. 

The book begins “the oracle that the prophet Habakkuk saw” (1:1). Blink and you will miss an important detail. Habakkuk’s name includes the title “prophet.” He is the only preexilic prophet to have his name associated with the title. And there are only two postexilic books in the Bible that use the title prophet in their superscription: Haggai (1:1) and Zechariah (1:1). Biblical scholars theorize that the inclusion of the prophetic title in Habakkuk indicates that he was a professional prophet at the Jerusalem Temple. Habakkuk is familiar with temple liturgy, as will become apparent in the last section. His inclusion among the elites of Jerusalem stands in contrast to a messenger like Amos who was a shepherd turned prophet operating on the margins. 

Despite the short superscription, there are historical hints later in the text that help date the prophet’s ministry. In chapter one, Yahweh announces the rise of the Babylonians and describes their rapid advance across the Ancient Near East. Scholars deduce from this clue that the prophet’s ministry had to date before the Babylonians took on an international superpower status. Habakkuk also has to date before the three successive Babylonian invasions of Jerusalem (605, 597, and 586 BCE). Otherwise, Yahweh’s announcement is more a flash of the obvious than a divine revelation

The book opens with Habakkuk lamenting the poor spiritual health of Judah. It is unlikely the prophet would have complained about Judah’s disobedience to the law if he were writing during the reign of the righteous King Josiah (630-609 BCE). Josiah implemented many religious reforms, including the purging of the Assyrian cult from the land. Josiah also encouraged a return to the covenantal obligations in the Torah, but Habakkuk describes the law in his day as being paralyzed. Habakkuk was most likely a witness to the reversal of Josiah’s reforms during the reign of King Jehoiakim (608-598 BCE). Although Jehoiakim was the son of Josiah, he disregarded the Torah laws and allowed for the return of idol worship. 

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