The Bible Book by Book Part 17

2. Interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's image dream. Ch. 2.

3. In the fiery furnace. Ch. 3.

4. Interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's tree dream, Ch. 4.

5. Interpretation of the hand-writing on the wall for Belshazzar, Ch. 5.

6. In the Lion's den, Ch. 6.

II. Daniel's Vision of the Kingdom, Chs. 7-12.

1. The four beasts, Ch. 7.

2. The ram and the he-goat, Ch. 8.

3. The seventy weeks, Ch. 9.

4. The final vision, Chs. 10-12.

For Study and Discussion. (1) Make a list of the various visions of Daniel and become familiar with the contents of each. (2) Make a list of all the pa.s.sages that refer to the fact of Daniel's praying and point out some of the specific prayers with their answers. (3) Point out the different attempts to overthrow or kill Daniel and tell the cause, by whom he was opposed and how he escaped. (4) Make a list of the different symbols such as the lion and learn the description given of each symbolic animal. (5) Point out the several decrees made by the different kings and learn what led to the decree, how it affected Daniel, how it bore upon the wors.h.i.+p of the people of his nation, how it affected the wors.h.i.+p of Jehovah, etc. (6) The difficulty and possibility of right living in bad surroundings. (7) The openness of Daniel's conduct. (8) The elements of strength of character displayed by Daniel. (9) The inevitable conflict between good and evil.

Chapter XVIII.

Hosea and Joel.

Hosea.

The Prophet. He is called the "Prophet of Divine Love." His name, Hosea, means "Deliverance." He was a native and citizen of Israel and followed Amos whom he may have heard in Bethel. He was a contemporary with Isaiah and bore faithful testimony to corrupt Israel in the North while Isaiah prophesied at Jerusalem and was to Israel what Jeremiah became to Judah. He was prepared for his work through the lessons which he learned from the sins of his unfaithful wife. (1) Through the suffering which he endured because of her sins, he understood how G.o.d was grieved at the wickedness of Israel and how her sins were not only against G.o.d's law but an insult to divine love. (2) In love and at great cost he restored his wayward wife and in that act saw a hope of the restoration and forgiveness of Israel. His ministry extended over more than sixty years and was perhaps the longest of any on record. It continued 786-726 B. C., covering the last few years of the reign of Jereboam II, to which Chs. 1-3 belong and the period of anarchy following.

The Style and Method. His style is "abrupt, uneven, inelegant," but also poetical, figurative and abounding in metaphors. His writings must be interpreted with great care to get what is meant by his symbolic speech. He reminds one of modern reformers and revivalists.

Through all the anger which the book reveals we see also the surpa.s.sing beauty of reconciling love. One sees everywhere that the supreme goal to which Hosea moves is the re-establishment of Israel's fellows.h.i.+p of life and love with Jehovah.

Conditions of Israel. _Outwardly_ there was prosperity. Syria and Moab had been conquered; commerce had greatly increased; the borders of the land had been extended and the temple offerings were ample. _Inwardly_ there was decay. Gross immoralities were being introduced; wors.h.i.+p was being polluted and the ma.s.ses of the people crushed, while the a.s.syrian Empire was advancing and ready to crush Israel, whom, because of her sins, G.o.d had abandoned to her fate.

They countenanced oppression, murder, lying, stealing, swearing, etc.

They had forgotten the law and their covenant to keep it and had subst.i.tuted the wors.h.i.+p of Baal for that of Jehovah, thereby becoming idolaters. They no longer looked to G.o.d in their distress but turned to Egypt and a.s.syria for help, and thereby put security and prosperity on a basis of human strength and wisdom instead of resting them upon a hope of divine favor.

a.n.a.lysis.

I. Israel's Sin. ill.u.s.trated by the tragedy of Hosea's unfortunate marriage, Chs. 1-3.

1. His evil wife and their children, Ch. 1.

2. Israel's unfaithfulness and return to G.o.d seen in the evil women, Ch. 2.

3. G.o.d's love restores Israel as Hosea does his wife, Ch. 3.

II. The Prophetic Discourses, Chs. 4-14.

1. Israel's sin, Chs. 4-8.

2. Israel's coming punishment, Chs. 9-11.

3. Israel's repentance and restoration, Chs. 12-14.

For Study and Discussion. (1) Make a list of all the exhortations to penitence and reformation and study them. (2) Point out the different utterances of judgment upon the people. (3) Make a list of all the different sins condemned. (4) Make a list of the expressions of tender love for the wayward and backsliding one. (5) Make a list of all pa.s.sages indicating grief and suffering because of the sin and danger of the one loved. (6) Political and religious apostacy. (7) Sin as infidelity to love-as spiritual adultery. (8) The invitations of the book.

Joel.

The Prophet. His name means "Jehovah is G.o.d," but his birth-place and conditions of life are unknown. He very probably prophesied in Judah (2:15-17) and the time of his ministry is commonly thought to have been during the reign of Joash, king of Israel, and Amaziah, king of Judah. It seems certain his is one of the earliest (some think the very earliest) of the prophetic books, and his references to the temple and its services have caused some to conclude he was a priest.

The Prophecy. (1) The occasion of the prophecy was four successive plagues of insects, particularly the locusts (2:25) and a drouth (2:23) which had been unprecedented. These calamities the prophet declares are the results of their sins and should call them to repentance, that G.o.d may bless instead of curse their land. (2) The people repent and the calamity is removed. This is used by the prophet to foreshadow the coming destruction and restoration of Israel and this restoration is also doubtless used to prefigure Christian church and its triumph on earth. (3) The great subject is the terrible judgments of G.o.d which were to come upon the people because of their sins. (4) His great distinctive prophecy is 2;28-32 which was fulfilled on the day of pentecost, Acts 2:16-21. (B) In it all, he is emphasizing the rewards of the righteous and certain punishment of the wicked and thus he appealed to both the hopes and the fears of men.

But the relief value of the book is its optimism. There was victory ahead, the righteous would finally triumph and be saved and G.o.d's enemies will be destroyed. The conflict of good and evil and of Israel and her enemies will end in entire and glorious triumph for Israel and right.

a.n.a.lysis.

I. The Call to Repentance, Chs. 1:1-2:17.

1. By the past scourge of locusts and drought, Ch. 1.

2. By the scourge to come, 2:1-17.

II. Israel's Repentance and Jehovah's Promised Blessing, 2:18-3:21.

1. Material blessing, 2:18-27.

2. In the world Judgment, Ch. 3.

For Study and Discussion. (1) Point out the different statements about the drouth and locusts that indicate their severity and ruinous effects. (2) Collect the pa.s.sages referring to the Messianic age and try to see how or what each foretells of that age. (3) Point out all references to the sins of Israel. (4) Collect evidences of the divine control of the universe as seen in the book.

Chapter XIX.

Amos and Obadiah.

Amos.

The Prophet. His name means "Burden," and he is called the prophet of righteousness. His home was at Tokea, a small town of Judea about twelve miles south of Jerusalem, where he acted as herdsman and as dresser of sycamore trees. He was very humble, not being of the prophetic line, nor educated in the schools of the prophets for the prophetic office. G.o.d called him to go out from Judah, his native country, as a prophet to Israel, the Northern Kingdom. In obedience to this call he went to Bethel, where the sanctuary was, and delivered his bold prophecy. His bold preaching against the land Of Israel while at Bethel aroused Amaziah the leading idolatrous priest, who complained of him to the king. He was expelled from the kingdom, after he had denounced Amaziah who had perhaps accused him of preaching as a trade, 7:10-14, but we know nothing more of him except what is in this book, which he perhaps wrote after he returned from Tekoa.

The Time of the Prophecy. It was during the reign of Uzziah, king of Judah and of Jereboam II, king of Israel, and was outwardly a very prosperous time in Northern Israel. But social evils were everywhere manifest, especially the sins that grow out of a separation between the rich and poor, 2:6-8, etc. Religion was of a low and formal kind, very much of the heathen wors.h.i.+p having been adopted.

The Significance of the Prophecy. One need but read the book of Amos to see that he expects doom to come upon foreign nations, that he foretells the wickedness of the Jews and their coming doom, showing how the nation is to be dissolved and sold into captivity and that he predicts the glory and greatness of the Messianic kingdom. He thinks of Jehovah as the one true G.o.d, an all wise, all-powerful, omnipresent, merciful and righteous person whose favor can only be secured by a life of righteousness. He sees that justice between men is the foundation of society, that men are responsible for their acts, that punishment will follow failure to measure up to our responsibility, that wors.h.i.+p is an insult to G.o.d, unless the wors.h.i.+per tries to conform to divine demands.