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Biblical Worldview
A PAPER FOR MID TERM: PROPHETIC AND APOCALYPTIC LITERATURE
BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW ACCORDING TO THE PROPHETS AMOS, HABAKKUK, MICAH, NAHUM, AND ZEPEHNIAH.

Man has been trying to figure out just what life is all about and what his role is in it since the beginning of time. Many of us have found the answers to some of life's questions in the writings found in the Bible. How would we explain what we have found to someone who has had little experience with the Bible? If they had just read five prophetic books such as Amos, Micah, Zepehniah, Nahum and Habakkuk, how would we help them understand what they have read, and how it pertains to the questions they have?

The first question that one may ask is how the Bible views God. We might first want to draw their attention to the idea that God is a God of justice. (A5:24) Justice implies that punishment will come for wrongdoing, but we can assure them that God will deal fairly with them. We see in the prophets that God does not show partiality when He judges. (Z1:4, Z2:4) We also see that He gives those who wander from Him the opportunity to return to Him. (Z2:3)

We might then want to draw their attention to the idea that God is Sovereign. We have already established that God is, and seeks justice, but what right does God have to stand over us in judgment? What gives Him the authority to exercise such authority? God's authority is shown in the reaction of creation when He speaks His word,(A1:2; N1:4-5) and when He interacts with it. (M1:3-4) Creation itself recognizes and reacts to God as it's creator, and ruler. It bows in His presence, and does what He commands. God's authority as judge is also found in His holy nature. (M1:2) His holy nature compels Him to strike out against evil, (M2:1; Z1:2) and against those who seek to destroy righteousness. (A5:10-16) His holy nature also compels Him to turn His face from those who worship half-heartedly, or just to maintain an 'act' of being holy. (A5:21-23) God's holy nature gives Him the authority to judge what is good and what is evil.

God's justice and authority work together in perfect harmony one with the other to create a symphony of life. That symphony I played out in the life of all creation. When creation sins, or does what is evil, the notes are a little discordant, but God, in His infinite wisdom seeks to bring it all into harmony, and tries to bring order to the chaos. When creation, specifically man, does not respond, the notes become harsh, and God's justice is heard in the strong tones of the music. When creation responds, the harmony is restored, and the music become peaceful, serene, or even a joyful song of complete communion with God.

The next question one may ask is how the prophets view mankind. At a first cursory glance over the prophets, we may get the idea that mankind is nothing more than rebellious, and sinful. Because of the nature of the prophets, we generally get a picture of humanity that is not pleasant. We see the sinfulness of man, and his constant turning away from God and what is holy. But, we also see God standing on the sidelines calling to those who would be His people, and seek to be holy as He is holy. (M5:8-9)

Micah 5:8-9 sums up what God expects from humanity. He has told us what is good, He has told us what He wants from us, and He calls us to honor Him. This is the biblical view of what humanity should be. This is how we are supposed to react, and interact with God. That is our purpose. However, humanity does not always follow in the path God has laid out for it. Evil exists in the world in many forms, holy people cry out for justice, and yet it seems like God does not answer. (H1:2-4) But, God will answer, and will answer in a definitive way. (H1:5-5) God has given humanity free will to chose between right and wrong, yet He will punish those who pursue evil ways. He calls to them, giving them the choice to humble themselves before Him, and turn from their evil. He seeks to bring them to Him, see them submit to His wisdom so He may save them. (Z2:1-2)

In today's world it is more than likely that someone you might be talking to about the Bible would have had some experience with the idea of Christianity. They might even understand that Christians hold as sacred both the old and new testaments of Scripture. With this in mind, one may also be asked how Christ is seen in the prophets.

Christ can be seen as a ruler who will lead Israel. He is not any ordinary ruler, but one who has 'come from very old times, from times long ago.' (M5:2) He is a ruler who will bring peace (M5:5). This Ruler will be King of Israel who will bring peace, and rejoicing. He will dwell with them, and will give them the security they long for. (Z3:14-20)

While Christ is not specifically mentioned in the prophets, His coming is predicted, and certain aspects of His nature are revealed. Christ is not fully revealed in the five books we are dealing with, but His presence is there. From this vantage point, the biblical view of Christ is as a ruler who will restore Israel to her previous glory, and will rule in prosperity and peace, bringing her a confident sense of security.

This may lead to a question about Israel and the nations. How does God view Israel? Where do the nations fit into what's going on in the prophets? The people of Israel are God's chosen ones. (A3:2) He has already brought them out of slavery. (M5:4) Even though they are an evil nation, God promises to save a portion of them, the ones who remain faithful to Him. (H2:4) The biblical view of Israel shows us a nation that is chosen by God to be His people. But, they have turned from Him, and have sought after evil. Even after all He has done for them they turn away. (Z3:1-4) Israel as God's chosen ones, are meant to walk the journey of life with Him, not away from Him. (A3:8) He speaks to them, and expects them to listen. He displays the vastness of His power, and expects them to react. The biblical view of Israel shows us how God expects Israel to act and interact with God, and how they really act and interact with God. We see Israel as the chosen ones, yet we see them turn away from the One who has chosen them.

The biblical view of the nations is different. In some passages the nations are used by God to exact judgment against Israel. In the end, they suffer the same fate as Israel. We don't see God calling out to them to repent and turn to Him, we just see them being judged. The prophets mention the nations that surround Israel, but the book of Nahum gives a clear, and detailed look at what happens to one specific nation.

The nations are dealt with differently than Israel. We see God pressing His charges against them, and pronouncing judgment. (A1:3-5, as an example) It almost seems as though God doesn't really seek to interact with other nations.

God uses the nations as His instrument of justice for Israel. (M4:9-10) God punishes the nations for their wrongdoing, just as He will punish Israel. (N1:2-3) But, Israel will be restored to her former glory, but the other nations will not. (M7:11-13)

From this point, we may be asked about what will happen in the future. After all, isn't that what prophecy is all about? Telling the future? Isn't that what the prophets did? This might be a good time to explain just what the prophet's job was. You might want to explain that the prophets didn't just talk about the future, but were sent to remind the people of Israel about their place in God's plan. They were meant to be His people, He made a covenant with them, and gave them laws that they were supposed to follow in order to maintain His favor. The first job of the prophet was to be a 'covenant enforcer' who pointed out to the people the wrongs they had done. This, of course, was not a popular job. Prophets were sometimes met with opposition from those they were prophesying to. (A7:10-12) It is of some note that the prophet Amos answered in a humble manner, giving god credit for the prophecy he was delivering. (A7:14-15)

The message the prophets gave was not an easy one. But at times, they presented messages of hope for the future. (A9:11-15; M5:2-5; M5:79; Z3:9-20) The verses refereed to here show a bright future. A future that sees a restored Israel, victorious and prosperous. As Christians, we transfer those promises of restoration and hope to our own lives. We don't necessarily envision a restored earthly nation, we envision an eternal Kingdom where Christ rules as the ruler of all things. It is difficult to see this in the old testament prophets because they deal specifically with the nation of Israel.

So, what exactly do we make of all this? Does this help our friend understand life any better? Well, yes it does. We have shown that God is a just God who has the authority, and power to decide what is right and wrong based on His holy nature. We have shown that humanity is meant to walk with God, and interact with Him according tot he plan He has for humanity. He has given us the understanding we need to do what is right, and has given us the free will to do so. He has also given us the free will to choose what is not right.

We have shown that while Christ is not specifically mentioned in the prophets, we can catch a glimpse of who He is, and what His role is in human history. We have seen how God chose Israel, brought them out of bondage, just to have them turn away from Him. We have seen how God has exercised His judgment against Israel by using the nations around her, and we have seen that His judgment was not restricted to Israel, but was extended to the nations around her.

While we really didn't get into the details of what will happen in our future, or what the prophets specifically tell us about our future, we did talk about what God predicted at the time for Israel's future. If we could walk through biblical history, we would see that some of the promises that God made to Israel were fulfilled, and that some still wait to be fulfilled, but we see through the prophets that God interacts with humanity to bring it to Himself, and keeps the promises He makes to His people. The portions of what we read in these five prophetic books are reinforced by other books in the Bible, and from this point, I would encourage my friend to read the books of Hebrew history to help him better understand what he read in the prophetic books we talked about.

What it all boils down to is found in Micah 6:8-9. God has told us what is good, what He wants from us, and that we are to live humbly, obeying God. When we do this we are the wise person that honors Him. When we get this part right, all the other parts of life, and our view of life, fall into place.

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