Romans 13:8 “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law.^“

¹¹And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. ¹²The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. ¹³Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. ¹⁴Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

Saint Paul

Paul wrote to the church from Corinth on his third missionary journey. He had wanted to visit Rome, but had been unable to go there. His audience lived in the capital city of the major world power of that day. That government was not friendly toward Christians and Christianity. For that reason, it is interesting to note Paul’s instructions in light of these facts.

We pick up this study of Romans in progress. There is a natural break at this point so we’ll start here and go on.

Key Verses:

You may not have voted for those who hold the power to govern your state and nation. Nevertheless, you should respect and honor their function and live peacefully to the degree that it is possible to do so.

Peter refused to obey those in authority only when they forbade him to preach and practice his faith.

Malachi, the name means “my messenger.” Whether Malachi is a name or a title, the man who penned this book was probably a contemporary of Nehemiah. He spoke against half-hearted worship of God. (As did Nehemiah.) He also spoke of a day when God would come to purify his people.

Key verses:

Zechariah was both prophet and priest. He was a contemporary of Haggai, and like Haggai, his message one one of encouragement to God’s people to complete building the temple. Haggai’s writing spans a relatively short time span. By contrast, Zechariah’s first message came in August of 520 BC. His final prophecy was given after 480 BC.

Here are some verses of interest:

God wants us to put our priorities in order. That is the message of Haggai, the Old-Testament prophet.

In 586 BC, Babylon had leveled Jerusalem and carried off many of its people as prisoners of war. During this period of exile, the Medes and Persians defeated the forces of Babylon. Soon after, Cyrus, the king of Persia, freed various peoples that the Babylonians had captured. Cyrus encouraged the Jew to return home to rebuild their city and its temple.

In 538 BC, God’s people returned to their home and began their work. There were hinderences and the rebuilding of the temple was, for the most part, placed on hold for a decade. The prophet, Haggai, encouraged the people to once again make the rebuilding of God’s house a priority.

Key Verse:

After the death of Isaiah, the kingdom of Judah would fall to the Babylonians in less than a century. During this time, a series of prophets spoke to the people and their leaders. They warned of the consequences that followed from the practice of violence and injustice. They also spoke of God’s promises to those who remained faithful and true. Zephaniah was one of these.

The verse for today is:

Once again we look at an Old Testament Prophet. This time we consider the message of Nahum. His name means “comfort of God.” You could think of Nahum as the sequel to Jonah.

Nahum by J James Tissot

Hahum’s message comes more than 100 years after Jonah’s. Like Jonah, he has a warning for Assyria. The book divides into four parts. The first, is about the character of God. Then comes God’s punishment for his enemies. Third, the destruction of Nineveh is detailed. Finally, the cause of the destruction is explained. It is not all bad news. Nahum shares a promise of restoration for God’s people.

When Jonah preached, the Ninevites repented. They did not respond to Nahum. In 612 BC, the great city was captured by the Babylonians.

Key verse: Nahum 1:7
The Lord is good a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him.

Last week, we considered Jonah. He longed for justice for his nation’s enemies, but overlooked God’s love and mercy.

This week we move on to another OT prophet, Micah. His message was to those who abused their power — political or religious — for their own personal benefit. This resulted in injustice.



The message that Micah brought to the leaders is summed up in the 8th verse of chapter 6:

He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.

A good message for us today.