Day Sixty-Six -- A wicked city, sibling rivals, & a righteous shepherd

Obadiah, Jonah, Micah and Nahum

Four prophets in one day is a lot to comment on.  While it is easy for much of the material to sound repetitive from one prophet to the next, there are some differences to think about.  First off it was interesting to read Jonah and Nahum on the same day since both are concerned with Ninevah, the capital city of the hated Assyrians.  In Jonah, God wants the prophet to go and pronounce the LORD's judgment on Ninevah, that wicked city.  Jonah resists because he knows that if the king and people of Ninevah repent then the LORD will not destroy them.  When they do repent Jonah is mad, but the story shows God's willingness to save other nations if they turn to his ways.  The prophet Nahum, however, openly taunts Ninevah with the pronouncement that they will ultimately meet with complete desolation and ruin.  Their wickedness runs just too deep.  The LORD may be "slow to anger" but in the end "will not leave the guilty unpunished."

The prophecies of Obadiah utilize the sibling rivalry of Jacob and Esau (from days Two and Three of our Bible Challenge reading in Genesis) to speak of the conflict between Israel (Jacob) and Esau (Edom).  Edom might be reveling in the current troubles of Israel/Judah, but should not be so quick to rejoice or boast.  As it was with Jacob ending up with the blessing over his brother Esau, so it will be that Edom will come out on the short end of the LORD's favor.

And finally, the prophet Micah, while announcing judgment upon Samaria and Jerusalem, can also speak of a future age when "Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore" (Micah 4:3).  A righteous shepherd will come forth out of Bethlehem and the people "will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth" (5:4).  If this sounds promising, well, keep on reading . . .