Warren W. Wiersbe (1929–2019)

First sentence: “Thank God He gives us difficult things to do!” said Oswald Chambers in My Utmost for His Highest. The first time I read that statement, I shook my head in disagreement, but I was young and inexperienced then, and it seemed smarter to do the easy things that made me look successful.

This is the third commentary series highlighting the minor prophets of the Old Testament. This one focuses on Ezra, Haggai, and Zechariah. These are all postexhilic in nature. The Babylonian Captivity is ending and Jews are beginning to return to resettle, rebuild, re-establish.

Wiersbe goes through these three books, chapter by chapter. He also shares some conclusions tying together these books of the Bible.

This is one of the rare times I read the book cover to cover but my mind was on vacation. I don't know where my brain was when I was turning pages over the course of a week. It wasn't like I retained the information but took too long to review (which happens sometimes). I do not blame Wiersbe for my empty mindedness. (This also happened with Beauty by Robin McKinley that I was reading over the same week.)

I would recommend this one to those that like his "Be" series commentaries. I have read a handful of his commentaries and enjoyed them. Some I've learned quite a bit from.… (more)

First sentence: If the prophet Amos were to come to our world today, he would probably feel very much at home; for he lived at a time such as ours, when society was changing radically.

This commentary covers the books Amos, Obadiah, Micah, and Zephaniah. It is one of three commentary books written by Warren Wiersbe that treats the Old Testament minor prophets. Each book covers multiple books of the Bible.

To be honest I have almost always struggled with the minor prophets. Some of the books I find a little intimidating to digest. I know that they are the Word of God. I know they are there to teach, to edify, to convict, to encourage, etc. I know they are still God-breathed despite me not quite "getting" them.

I enjoyed reading Warren Wiersbe's commentary. I felt that the book was definitely relatable. It made me want to try harder, or, perhaps pray more fervently for wisdom and understanding when reading the Bible. Perhaps a realization that I need spiritual eyes to read this spiritual book.

Favorite quotes:

From Amos:

The test of a spiritual experience is not “Do I feel good?” or “Did we have a big crowd and a good time?” The real test is “Do I know God better, and am I more like Jesus Christ?”
Christian music is big business today, but we wonder how much of it really glorifies the Lord. What we think is music may be nothing but noise to the Lord.
Whether we’re looking at the broader religious scene or the services in our local churches, it takes spiritual discernment to separate the wheat from the chaff. We need to ask, “Where is prayer in this meeting? Is God getting the glory? Is there a brokenness before Him? Does the fruit remain, or is it gone when the meeting is over and the enthusiasm dies down? Are we overwhelmed by the holiness and the glory of God, or are we just applauding religious celebrities?”
The way we treat God’s Word is the way we treat God, and the way we treat God’s messengers is the way we treat the Lord Himself (John 15:18–21). “God … has in these last days spoken to us by His Son. … See that you do not refuse Him who speaks” (Heb. 1:1–2; 12:25 NKJV).
To seek the Lord means first of all to change our thinking and abandon the vain thoughts that are directing our wayward lives.
Children of God are thinking wrongly about God, sin, and life. They think God will always be there for them to turn to, but they forget that sinners reap what they sow. To walk “in the counsel of the ungodly” is folly indeed (Ps. 1:1 NKJV), for it leads to a fruitless and joyless life.
True repentance begins with naming sins and dealing with them one by one.
No matter how much “religious activity” we participate in, if we don’t love our brothers and our neighbors, we can’t honestly worship and serve the Lord.

From Micah:

Few men are as pitiable as those who claim to have a call from God yet tailor their sermons to please others. Their first rule is “Don’t rock the boat”; their second is “Give people what they want.” But a true servant of God declares God’s message regardless of whether the people like it or not.
Any theology that makes it easy for us to sin is not biblical theology.
To make Micah 6:8 a salvation text is to misunderstand what the prophet was saying to God’s disobedient covenant people. None of us can do what God requires until first we come to God as broken sinners who need to be saved. Unsaved people who think they are doing justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God are only fooling themselves, no matter how moral their lives may be. “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us” (Titus 3:5).

From Zephaniah:

When was the last time you sang a hymn about the future judgment of the world? Most modern hymnals don’t contain songs about the day of the Lord, and you certainly won’t find the phrase in your daily newspaper or weekly news magazine.
Our God is a “singing” God. God the Father sings to the Jewish remnant entering the kingdom (v. 17). God the Son sang at the close of the Passover Feast, and then went to the garden to pray (Matt. 26:30). He also sang after His triumphant resurrection from the dead (Ps. 22:22; Heb. 2:12). God the Spirit sings today through the hearts and lips of Christians who praise God in the Spirit (Eph. 5:18–21).… (more)