68. Beginner Bible Course: The Book of Jonah, the Book of Nahum, and the Book of Obadiah

EPISODE 68  The simple Bible overview of…THE PROPHET JONAH, THE PROPHET NAHUM, AND THE PROPHET OBADIAH – GOD’S MESSAGES TO ASSYRIA AND EDOM ('STICKY NOTES')

...Before we go back to the Kings of the Southern Hill Judah. I want us to look at three sticky notes. Two of which are directed to nations outside of Judah or Israel. Those nations are Syria and eat them. And a third sticky note written to Judah about the nation of Assyria they're small, but power packed. One of these sticky notes is for short chapters, a second three short chapters, and a third only a single chapter. The first is Jonah. Everybody has heard of Jonah Jonah's prophecies written about 40 years before a Syria destroys the nation of Israel in the North.

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Many scholars treat Jonah as an allegory, but I think it's a real historical event for three reasons. First, the details given suggest this is a real thing. Second in second, Kings 14 Jonah is identified as a real prophet of guide and third, and perhaps most convincing Jesus treated this as if it was a real historical account. Jesus tied the most important event of his life to this account. Jonah his prophecy came during the time of Jeroboam. The second he was that tough King at the top of the Northern Hill, pushing back on enemies of Israel, like a Syria, the Jonah story definitely makes the Sunday school top 10 list.

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God tells Jonah to go to Nineveh. The capital of Assyria and preach that judgment was coming. Nineveh is 500 miles away to the East. It sits on the East bank of the Tigris river. It was one incredible city for 50 years, the largest city on our planet. And it was well-known renown. You might say for two things, idolatry and cruelty to its prisoners. One way they handled those they'd captured was to lay them in rows and run plows over them. Apparently killing them one at a time was too cumbersome. Haven't been given his marching orders.

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Jonah paused and thought about the character of God. He told Abraham one day someone would bless all nations of the world through him. He also knew God told Abraham his offspring would be in Egypt for 400 years while God tried to reach the EITs in the promised land. He'd heard of God turning from his anger against the Israelites at Mount Sinai and in the wilderness. Now God was asking him to go and bring a warning of judgment on these evil cruel Assyrians. I mean, what would you do if you knew a neighbor was planning to blow up a school bus and he collapsed on the sidewalk in front of your house, would you do CPR on that person?

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Or would you let them die? Jonah would've let him die. The story tells us he directly disobeyed God. And instead of heading East to Nineveh, he gets on a ship and heads West to Tarshish. Tarshish is basically at the rock of Gibraltar in Spain. It's going to the other end of the world on this voyage, a terrible storm occurs the sailors on the ship pagans as it were, no, this isn't the normal psych loan. This is a God storm. The account is dripping with irony. Here's the godly prophet disobeying God's orders to warn Nineveh and ungodly sailors are trying to save him.

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Finally, Jonah convinces the sailors. This is a him problem that God is punishing him and convince them to toss them overboard. You probably know the next part of the story. God appoints a great fish to swallow him. That's hard for many people to swallow, but there have been incidents where fish have swallowed people in chapter two of Jonah's prophecy. We get to eavesdrop with Jonah inside this fish crying out to God. Let's just say he had time to digest. God's command to go to Nineveh the fish, pukes him up on shore. Once up on shore, God, again says Jonah head East to Nineveh in this time.

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Jonah complies. When he gets there, he gives his message. It's simple. In 40 days, Nineveh will be destroyed. The reaction of these idolatrous cruel people in Nineveh is stunning. Then the people of Nineveh believed in God and they called a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least, the King then puts on sackcloth and orders that all do the same and even put sackcloth on their animals. Now come on. Really? Because one Jewish prophet said that I suggest to my students Jonah might've had a little help along with his scary words of judgment. Jonah his appearance.

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Might've had a little something to do with it. We're told Jonah had been in the fish three days. One has to wonder what he looked like and smelled like after three days and digestive juices, perhaps bleached out as white as a sheet. Maybe we're told when God saw their repentant heart. He changed his mind about that. Nuking them after 40 days thing, the Assyrians get the message. All people matter to God, even idolatrous cruel people like the Assyrians, but Jonah needed to get the message to when Jonah saw their repentance and realize that God would spare them.

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He has a little conversation with God. Didn't I tell you God, this is why I ran to Tarshish. I knew you were gracious and compassionate. You're going to save these wretched people. Aren't you I'd rather die than see that. What did you take me out? God simply replies. Dude. What are you so angry about? Jonah does not answer. He leaves the city and finds an overlook to Nineveh. He's going to wait it out. Probably believing the repentance. Won't stick. The Ninevites will go back to their normal cruel idolatrous selves, and God will change his mind, but God's got one person in Nineveh who needs to repent. And that's the prophet up on the overlook in his overlook.

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At first, it's pretty cozy. We're told God made a fast growing plant to grow up and shade him from the desert sun. But then Jonah noticed a worm burrowing into the STEM of this plant. The next day, the plant withered and collapsed. God turned up the heat and the warm wind and Jonah becomes steaming and steaming mad. Then God speaks to Jonah. Now let me get this straight. You're a disobedient pouting prophet sitting here and I compassionately raise up a plant to protect you from the sun. So why do you have a problem with me showing compassion on those people down there in that city who don't know their left hand from their right, as well as kindness to their animals and Jonah ends right there.

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The sticky note from God through Jonah is this Lost people matter to me, all Lost people matter to me. I want all my kids back, even the most cruel and wicked ones. Wow, that's quite a reminder. And that brings us to our next sticky note. This one is directed to Judah, but it's about those same people in Nineveh. And Assyria Nahum happens about a hundred years after Jonah that repentance from the King and its citizens. It didn't stick shortly after they reverted to their cruelty. Jonah was right. They got on the school bus to blow it up. They destroyed Israel in seven 22 BC.

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I'm sure they got out their plows. They almost conquered Jerusalem in seven Oh one. Now God sends Nahum to struggling Judah with a message for Assyria that sticky note message. A serious meter is expired during the time of Jonah history of fed the meter with repentance, but in the century that followed that repentance was used up and replaced with more cruelty and idolatry in Nahum chapter one, we have a staggering description of God. God has slow to anger, but he's great in power. He cannot, he will not leave. The guilty unpunished Nahum tells Judah Nineveh.

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00:08:23

The largest city in the world will be swept away like an utter flood Nahum chapter two describes this devastation in advance, incense around sound detail. The destruction of Nineveh, a serious capital city was sudden and complete. The devastation was so great. The ruins were not even discovered until 1842 God's message of hope to struggling. Judah being bullied by the wicked Assyrians is take heart. Assyria his meter has expired. I'm slow to anger, but I'm great in power. I cannot, I will not leave the guilty on punished that goes for Nineveh.

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00:09:04

And Assyria it also goes for you. The third sticky note profit I want to look at is Obadiah of two pages in your Bible. Stick together. You'll miss it. Obadiah is dated somewhere between 840 and 586 BC. You say, man, that's 250 years. How come you can't nail it down a little closer? Well, the main reason is there was long-term bad blood between Judah and the people to whom Obadiah directed his message Obadiah as directed to Edam. Edam is the name for the descendants of Esau, bad blood between Esau in the children of Israel.

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Jacob's children were back to Esau and Jacob remember their story back in Genesis. They departed from each other with tears and hugs. But now hundreds of years later, it's turned to bad blood. You'll remember in numbers, the children of Israel on their way to the promised land asked Edam. If they could pass through God had instructed them. Don't harm your brother Esau. Even then Edam said, drop dead no way you're coming through. So they had to go around. As we move forward into Israel's history, eat them the descendants of Esau opposed King Saul, they fought King David, then King Solomon.

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Then they fought Jehosaphat's. It seemed Edam. The descendants of Esau loved to pick fights with the descendants of Jacob. Their brother Edam was East of the dead sea. Their main city was Petra. If you haven't seen Petra, you need to look it up in Wikipedia. At one time, it was considered one of the seven wonders of the world. It's a city carved into the face of rocks. If you've seen Raiders of the lost Ark, it was Petra inside that skinny little opening, the Edomites thought the city was impenetrable. They were pretty proud of themselves from this impenetrable position. They seem to take great delight.

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00:11:06

When their brother Jacob was attacked, especially Judah in their capital city, Jerusalem. If you've been following this podcast and Kings of the Hill, Jerusalem was attacked by Egypt during the rain of Rehoboam. Then by the Philistines and Arabians during the time of <inaudible> and then by Joe Ash of Israel, during the time of Amazigh going forward, you'll see that it was also attacked and conquered by the Babylonians between six Oh five and five 86 BC. During these times, the Edomites didn't help their brother, Jacob Obadiah proclaims judgment on Edom for four things. When Jacob, their brother was attacked, they just stood there and watched, but it gets worse as they watch.

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00:11:53

They rejoiced over Jacob's struggle. We're still, they assisted the enemy in attacking and conquering Jacob and perhaps worst of all, they blocked the escape of Jerusalem's refugees and turn them over to their enemies for this over a period of 250 years, a gracious guide, but one who cannot, who will not leave the guilty on punished issues. This sticky note warning to eat him. What goes around, comes around. God says this as you've done, it will be done to you. Your dealings will return upon your own head. Further. God says you who dwell in the cliffs of the rock.

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Think Petra, I will bring you down. God uses the <inaudible> to do that. Very thing. What did these three sticky notes impacting nations outside of Israel and Judah tell us simply this. All people matter to God, God has slow to anger and gracious, but adjust God also cannot will not leave the guilty on punished, carried along by the Holy spirit, the new Testament writer, Paul summarizes it this way, do not be deceived. God is not mocked for whatever we so we'll reap that applies to all people, Israel in the North, Judah in the South and the nations around them.

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One would hope that would be a wakeup call and make a difference for the remaining eight Kings for the Southern kingdom of Judah were about the study in our next word picture.