2 Chronicles 30-36 concludes the history of the kingdom of Judah, from the reign of faithful Hezekiah through to its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar and the exile of Jews to Babylon. Yet God’s purpose with his people continued: after 70 years, God stirred up Cyrus king of Persia, who told them to return to their own land and build God’s house (chapter 36:20-23), just as Jeremiah had prophesied (Jeremiah 29:10-14).
The record of Ezra continues on from 2 Chronicles, with an initial, partial return of Jews to their homeland led by Zerubbabel (also called Sheshbazzar) in the time of Cyrus. Other people then living in the land tried to stop them building the temple (chapter 4), but the prophets Haggai and Zechariah encouraged them to complete the work (chapter 5). Ezra himself, a faithful Jewish priest, left Babylon for Jerusalem at a later time (chapter 7:1-9). Along with Nehemiah, whose own book covers a similar period, he helped the Jews to understand and keep God’s laws despite the significant opposition they faced.
God promised that the nation of Israel would never be completely destroyed (Jeremiah 30:10-11), and we see this in the book of Esther. God is not mentioned explicitly, but is evidently at work behind the scenes. Haman, a chief ruler in the Persian empire, plots to destroy all Jews; but Esther, a Jewess chosen as the new queen, is in the right place at the right time (chapter 4:11). Her courage leads to Haman’s own destruction, and the Jews being saved from death.
The book of Daniel is also set in the period of Jewish exile. Besides historical events in which he was involved, Daniel also records several visions and dreams God gave to him. These include a very detailed vision in chapters 10-12, revealing major events future to his day involving the Jewish people, and the work of angels in bringing about God’s purpose. Chapter 12:1-3 predicts a momentous event still future to us – the resurrection of the dead – when many people now in the grave will be raised again and judged. At the end, God promises Daniel his own inheritance in the promised land.
Hosea was a prophet in northern Israel, around the same time that Isaiah prophesied in the southern kingdom of Judah. His early prophecy was in a symbolic but highly personal form. He was to take as wife a promiscuous woman called Gomer, despite her immoral behaviour, and have children by her. In this he portrays God’s own relationship with the people of Israel who so often turned away and worshipped other gods. Yet while their disobedience caused God sorrow and brought judgment upon themselves, he still cared for them, as Hosea was to care for Gomer. In chapter 14 Hosea makes his last appeal to the nation, promising that God will restore, heal and accept all who acknowledge and repent of their sins.
The book of Joel is unusual: we are told his father’s name, but nothing about when or where he prophesied. However, there are many connections between his prophecy and other parts of the Bible, which help us to understand what the issues he was speaking about. For example, chapter 2:28-32 was quoted directly by the apostle Peter (Acts 2:16-21) when he was preaching about the death and resurrection of Jesus to a large number of Jews gathered in Jerusalem.
Amos opens with prophecies of God’s coming judgements on particular groups of people, including not only various nations surrounding Israel, but Judah and Israel themselves also. In each case the same formula is used: for three transgressions of … and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof. This takes us back to Exodus 20:5, where God describes his consistent treatment of those who follow their forebears in doing wrong; he says that he visits the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me. In Amos 3:7 we find an assurance that God’s prophets are given their prophecies by God himself, meaning that we can trust their inspired words to come true: Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he reveals his secret unto his servants the prophets.
The prophecy of Obadiah is brief but powerful. It concerns just one nation, Edom, which for most of its history had been antagonistic to Israel. Their bitter relationship had deep roots, because the people of Edom were descended from Esau, while Israelites were the children of Jacob, Esau’s twin brother. As Esau had hated Jacob (Genesis 27:41), so Edom maintained their hatred of Israel over many generations. Obadiah speaks of Edom taking advantage at a time when Israel is suffering terribly (verses 11-15), attacking and stealing from his brother rather than helping him. But God’s message is very clear that such wrongdoing will be severely punished when God steps in to bring judgment and save his people from their enemies. In the end, when God’s kingdom is established with Jerusalem (Zion) as its capital, Edom will be destroyed and Israel will possess their land.
As we read through Acts 10-28, the gospel message is taken to a wider and wider audience, just as Jesus had commanded his apostles: ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth (Acts 1:8). Chapter 10 records a key moment, when the first gentile – a Roman centurion called Cornelius – is converted, along with his household. The book ends with Paul, the “apostle to the gentiles”, held prisoner in Rome, awaiting trial before Caesar, yet still working for God, still preaching to all who would hear.
Like all scripture, the letter to the Colossians was not produced by human will but by God’s will, under inspiration. So it brings grace and peace to those who receive it, not just from Paul and Timothy who sent it, but also from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (1:2). The letter is full of expressions of love, care and encouragement for the gentile believers in Colosse, because they had heard the word of the truth of the gospel and obeyed it (1:5), being baptised into Christ; Paul therefore exhorts them to continue in the faith (1:23).
Both 1 Thessalonians and 2 Thessalonians were sent by the apostle Paul and two others: Silvanus and Timothy. (The book of Acts records the work of Paul and Timothy, but in 2 Corinthians 1:19 we find that Silvanus was also active with them.) The faithful in Thessalonica had experienced violent attacks from unbelievers in the city (Acts 17:5-9). Paul thanks God that they had kept the faith despite this (2:13-14), and reminds them that such suffering is to be expected (3:4) as Jesus himself had taught (Matthew 5:10-12).
Paul had a deep affection for Timothy, who joined him in his work for Christ when he was still young (Acts 16:1-5). This is very evident in 1 Timothy, where Paul writes to him as his “own son in the faith” (1:2), and instructs him in his responsibility towards the congregation of believers, whom he identifies as “the house of God … the congregation of the living God” (3:15).
2 Timothy was written towards the end of Paul’s life (as we can see in chapter 4:5-9). Throughout the letter he encourages Timothy to stay strong and keep what Paul has given him, the “form of sound words” (1:13), and to “continue in the things he has learned and been assured of” (3:14). Even though Paul’s own life of service to Christ will shortly end, the inspired holy scriptures, the written form of God’s word, will endure. They are given to profit not just Timothy but all who read them, to bring the man of God to perfection (chapter 3:15-17).
Paul’s letter to Titus is similar in many ways to 1 Timothy, and it is instructive to compare the two. Both Timothy and Titus were considered “sons in the faith” to Paul, their spiritual father. Both were directed by Paul to work in particular places – Timothy in Ephesus, Titus in Crete. Both are instructed about the needs of the congregation, and how its various members should work, each in accordance with their own ability, for the benefit of all. As so often, both in personal contact and by letter, Paul warns Titus of the danger to all disciples from the constant human inclination to sin. Titus must play his part by resisting error, rebuking those who turn away from the truth, and strengthening all believers to speak and do what is right before God.
Philemon probably lived in or near Colosse. (See notes on Colossians, above). This brief letter to him from Paul and Timothy mainly concerns Onesimus, a bond-servant of Philemon’s, who had run away and found Paul. (See notes on the Bible readings for May.) But Philemon was not the letter’s only recipient: Apphia and Archippus, and others who met with Philemon in his house (verse 2) are also included. It is clear (verses 5-7) that Philemon was faithful and showed the love of God towards his fellow believers, as Jesus requires all disciples to do (John 15:12).
Chapters 1-5 of Hebrews contain at least 17 quotations from the Old Testament. Together these prove that Jesus Christ, the son of God, is the most important man in all human history, central to God’s purpose from the beginning of creation. This demonstrates that we need the whole Bible to understand the gospel: we can’t discard the Old Testament, it is the foundation on which the New Testament is built! This principle is strengthened by a detail in chapter 3:7, of how the quotation from Psalm 95:7-11 is introduced. The words are “as the holy spirit says …” (present tense), not “as the holy spirit said” (past tense). The holy spirit - God’s spirit - was still speaking in that psalm, 1000 years after it was written, to all who read it then. And God’s spirit is still speaking to us in all the scriptures – the whole Bible – today!