To be honest, there is the possibility of going a year without significant reading or studying in those books until the next 11 month cycle rolls around. How do I know this? I do much of my reading with an electronic Bible on my Palm Pilot. When I go to choose the book, it will bring up the last page I read. In the case of the minors, I usually am taken to the last page! Yup, been 11 months since I last was there for a few of these. Rather than lamenting my lack of discipline, I try to look forward to my reading as a time to catch up with old friends.
Hmm, you might say -thinking of some of these guys like Angry Amos and his pejorative prophecies, is that the kind of company you like to keep? You betcha! You see, even if there is a lot of messaging regarding God's wrath on faithless Israel and punishment on other nations, in those pages there are powerful reminders of God's grace and mercy. Also, there's some vivid imagery and skillful writing that I just flat out enjoy. Look at this passage from Nahum regarding the destruction of Nineveh:
Weapons flash in the sun, the soldiers splendid in battle dress, Chariots burnished and glistening, ready to charge, A spiked forest of brandished spears, lethal on the horizon. The chariots pour into the streets. They fill the public squares, Flaming like torches in the sun, like lightning darting and flashing.
But in the midst of this wrath, some of the most beautiful passages emerge that give us clues into God's grace. One of my favorite verses is found in Micah 6:6-8. Lamenting and facing his sin, Micah pours out his heart:
With what shall I come to the LORD and bow myself before the God on high? Shall I come to Him with burnt offerings, with yearling calves? Does the LORD take delight in thousands of rams, In ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I present my firstborn for my rebellious acts, The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
When we think of the sacrificial system of the Law, Micah's lament makes sense. He is getting a glimpse of the Big Picture, that no amount of sacrifices would be able to save or redeem us. The next verse teaches us that God is not interested in the quantity of sacrifice but the quality of sacrifice:
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and walk humbly with your God?
I love that. That's what I believe the quality of sacrifice means, that our outward actions are the result of our inward character. Then there's Hosea, who spoke these wonderful words that describe God's love for his people. Even though the imagery of a disobedient child is extant in the passage, look at how God's love transcends the rebelliousness:
When Israel was a child, I loved him as a son, and I called my son out of Egypt ... It was I who taught Israel how to walk, leading him along by the hand. But he doesn't know or even care that it was I who took care of him. I led Israel along with my ropes of kindness and love. I lifted the yoke from his neck, and I myself stooped to feed him.
Yes, I'm looking forward to catching up with my old friends.
