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(~660-625 BC)
“Comfort, consolation”
From Naham נָחַם (H5162)
This book foretells the destruction of Nineveh and Assyria by the Babylonians. It explains that God is mindful of his people and that wicked, violent, and oppressive rulers/ regimes will not survive the test of time. Nahum explains, "God is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked.”
In other words, Nahum is saying that justice will be dealt with, but when dealing with justice, the Lord acts carefully and thoughtfully; he does not allow emotion or impulsivity to cloud his judgment. Nahum goes on to compare the fate of wicked nations to the future of God’s faithful remnant. He demonstrates that those who sow seeds of injustice will be met with similar consequences, those that reflect their behaviors, while those who obey God’s law and treat one another justly and mercifully will be rewarded with results that mirror their righteous actions.
One must remember that the scriptures explain that God is “slow to anger.” Therefore, we should expect the consequences of various actions (good or evil) to take some time before coming to fruition. However, this book and others assure that every promise of the Lord will eventually come to pass.
Key verses and things to ponder:
Nahum begins his book with the phrase, “The burden of Nineveh.” How does this revelation represent a burden, and how does this burden relate to us today?
The name Nahum means “consolation.” How does Nahum’s name reflect his mission as it is represented in this book?
1:6 Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? His fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him.
Nahum compares the strongholds of Nineveh to fig trees in 3:12, explaining that the Lord would shake the branches and strip the trees of their fruit. How does this compare to the parable of the fig tree in the New Testament (Matt 21:19-21; Matt 24:32-33; D&C 35:16-19)
2:2 For the Lord hath turned away the excellency of Jacob, as the excellency of Israel: for the emptiers have emptied them out, and marred their vine branches.
(~625-600 BC)
“Embrace”
To fold over or come full circle
From Chabaq חָבַק (H2263)
Habakkuk is a contemporary prophet of Lehi, and his writings express deep sorrow regarding the wickedness of his nation. He takes these grievances to the Lord in prayer and asks, “how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear!” God responds. God instructs Habakkuk to record the vision he receives, explaining that this message is intended for a future audience and that the deeper meaning of this message would be recognized by those who would later experience these events (and those like them D&C 121:1-3).
God affirms Habakkuk’s fears that Jerusalem would soon erupt into devastating violence and destruction. He elaborates that the Babylonians/ Chaldeans would quickly overtake the city. Habakkuk is horrified and proclaims that Babylon is even worse than Jerusalem; he asks why the Lord would choose such a wicked nation as his instrument. The Lord replied that, eventually, Babylon would fall as well. He explains that many subsequent nations would follow the same cyclical pattern of rising and falling.
This is like the vision Daniel interpreted for Nebuchadnezzar regarding the statue of gold, silver, brass, etc. The Lord explains to Habakkuk that these repetitive cycles of government would continue until the end of times when a remnant of God’s people would finally return to him and be faithful.
On that day, God promised that he would once again restore his kingdom upon the earth. God clarified that he does not endorse the corrupted practices of any governing body, especially those that cause pain and suffering. However, he knows that these adverse experiences can be used to help his people better recognize and understand the devastating consequences of sin.
The Lord details five “woes” that correspond with the warning signs associated with at-risk leadership. These are:
Debt & Preying upon others' misfortune
Coveting & Unrighteous Dominion - where leaders manipulate their positions to get gain and power.
Political Arrogance & Slave Labor - when one vainly takes advantage of another’s perceived weakness or misfortune.
Addiction & Immorality
Idolatry – worshiping the work of one’s own hands and the things of the world rather than trusting/prioritizing the Lord.
After a strong reminder that the Lord is in the Temple, Habakkuk acknowledges that he has heard the Lord and concludes his message with a song. Using temple imagery to outline the biblical history, Habakkuk points the listener to a future day when God would once again bring to pass the mighty miracles and peace that are reflective of those found in the stories of Eden.
Key verses and things to ponder:
What kind of example does Habakkuk set when it comes to prayer and aligning our will with God’s will? (See Prayer in Bible Dictionary, paragraph 7)
What was he expected to do when God responded to Habakkuk’s prayer? (2:2-3)
Throughout history, one can easily see many rising and falling regimes that depict Habakkuk's cycle. One can likely see many examples of these patterns today; in various governments, our personal lives, and the lives of those we love. Consider the meaning of Habakkuk’s name, “embrace.” Think of the Lord embracing us during our times of struggle and adversity, during our prayers. How can Habakkuk’s story comfort us, and what can we learn from his message?
Zephaniah (~640-609 BC)
“Jehovah has treasured”
From Tsafan צָפַן (H6845) “treasured, hidden” and Yah יָהּ (H3050)
Zephaniah lived during King Josiah’s reforms, just before Habakkuk. Zephaniah’s book contains a collection of his poetry. He opens the book proclaiming the destruction of Jerusalem. This reflects the opposite concept of the Genesis account, where God creates order out of Chaos. In these chapters, God allows the opposite to occur, as Jerusalem quickly devolves into pandemonium, darkness, and ruin.
This information serves as a warning. In chapter 2:3, Zephaniah addresses God's meek and righteous followers; he tells them to seek the Lord so that they might be hidden from the wrath of the Lord’s anger. Zephaniah then proceeds to expand his vision to the nations surrounding Jerusalem: the Philistines, Moabites, Assyrians, Canaanites, Ammonites, etc., and he predicts that all these nations will fall to Babylon as well.
In Chapter 3, the Lord issues a Woe to an unnamed and oppressive city, which could represent any city that has been corrupted through unrighteous rulers and priests who pollute the sanctuaries. The Lord is very aware of these communities and their injustices and explains that he will wipe them out. In verses 8-9, the Lord clarifies that the fire of his jealousy (passion) is not intended to destroy; instead, its purpose is to refine, to restore the people to a “pure language, that they might all call upon the name of the Lord, and serve him with one consent.”
The Lord’s goal is to transform these divergent nations into a single-family unit; who love and care for one another. This represents a fulfillment of the promises God made to Abraham that "through his seed, all nations would be blessed." Again, Zephaniah concludes with a song, “Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel: be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.”
Zephaniah describes Jerusalem and Zion as gathered and united in songs of praise. The Lord even promises that he would be in the midst of this heavenly throng upon earth, rejoicing over his elect with joy. He proclaims that along with the choir, he would also be singing songs of redeeming love on their behalf.
Key verses and things to ponder:
The manual suggests comparing these passages to 3 Nephi 17 when the Lord visits the Americas. We read that the Savior gathered everyone in the community. He healed their sick, blessed their children, taught, and prayed for them. The account reads, “eye hath never seen, neither hath the ear heard, before, so great and marvelous things…no tongue can speak, neither can there be written by any man, neither can the hearts of men conceive so great and marvelous things… Then, in verse 24, the account describes the heavens opening and a multitude of angels descending as they encircled the congregation in rings of fire, and the angels ministered unto the people. The Hebrew word for minister is שָׁרַת sharath, which is related to the root שִׁיר shir, which means “to sing.” One can see multiple reflections of Zephaniah’s promises in the BoM. Additionally, the account in 3 Nephi likely occurred while the Nephites and Lamanites were gathered at the Temple to observe Shavuot, which was celebrated 49 days following Passover. In Greek, this is called Pentecost. This was the same feast day that the Apostles were observing when they shared a similar experience in Acts 2; the Spirit of the Lord descended upon a group from multiple nationalities, whom all spoke multiple languages. They received the Holy Ghost, along with the gift of tongues, described as “cloven tongues of fire,” which allowed them to understand and communicate with one another.
What can these three different accounts teach us about what it means to have a pure language?
What can we learn when comparing these accounts to help us prepare for the Millennial Day?
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