Week 41 Reading Guide
Living in the Tension of Justice and Hope
Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi
Big Idea: his week’s readings bring us to the close of the Old Testament, where we hear God’s final prophetic words before the arrival of Jesus. These books confront injustice, call for repentance, and point forward to restoration and hope. Nahum and Zephaniah announce judgment on evil nations and on Israel for its unfaithfulness. Habakkuk wrestles honestly with God’s ways and ultimately finds confidence in His plan. Haggai and Zechariah inspire returning exiles to rebuild their lives around God’s promises. Malachi closes with a challenge to wholehearted worship and a promise of a coming messenger. These prophets speak into a weary world, reminding us to trust God, seek justice, and live in hope.
Reading Plan
Monday: Nahum 1–3 (God’s Judgment on Nineveh)
Tuesday: Habakkuk 1–3 (Wrestling with Injustice and Trusting God)
Wednesday: Zephaniah 1–3 (The Day of the Lord and God’s Restoring Love)
Thursday: Haggai 1–2 (A Call to Rebuild and Find Strength in God’s Presence)
Friday: Zechariah 1–8 (Visions of Restoration and God’s Future Kingdom)
Saturday: Zechariah 9–14; Malachi 1–4 (The Coming King and the Call to Faithful Worship)
Weekly DNA Questions
Discover
How do the prophets speak to both the pain of injustice and the promise of renewal?
What do the visions and promises in Zechariah reveal about God’s long-term plan for His people?
Why does Malachi challenge God's people about the sincerity of their worship?
Nurture
Where are you wrestling with God like Habakkuk—waiting for answers or justice?
Are there areas in your life where God is calling you to rebuild what’s been neglected—whether spiritually, relationally, or otherwise?
Act
Take time this week to honestly bring your questions and struggles to God in prayer.
Identify one way to pursue justice or generosity where complacency may have crept in.
Encourage someone who feels weary with God’s promises to restore and renew.
Key Verse: Habakkuk 3:17–18
Though the fig tree does not bud and there is no fruit on the vines… yet I will celebrate in the Lord; I will rejoice in the God of my salvation!
Reflection for the Week
The final words of the Old Testament don’t offer neat resolutions but invite us to wait in hope. God confronts evil, calls out hypocrisy, and renews a vision for a faithful future. Through complaint and confusion, faith and rebuilding, these prophets teach us to live in the tension—trusting God even when we can’t see the outcome. Their words prepare us for the silence to come, and the Savior who will break it.
Bible Project Resources
Guide to the Book of Nahum: God grieves over death, but his goodness and justice compel him to orchestrate the downfall of oppressive, destructive nations. The book invites readers to humble themselves before God and trust that he will confront every oppressor.
Guide to the Book of Habakuk: Habakkuk sees the darkness of the world as an invitation to have faith in God’s promise to one day set things right. Living with such faith means trusting that God loves this world and works to one day eradicate all evil forever.
Guide to the Book of Zephaniah: Zephaniah forces us to hold two aspects of God’s character at once—his justice and his love—to see that together they contain the future hope for our world.
Guide to the Book of Haggai: Our choices matter, and God has chosen to work out his purposes through the faithfulness and obedience of his people. This reality invites reflection and humility and prompts action rooted in the hope of God’s coming Kingdom.
Guide to the Book of Zechariah: Zechariah invites us to look above the chaos and hope for God’s Kingdom to come, motivating faithfulness in the present moment. That’s the challenge Zechariah offers to all generations of God’s people.
Guide to the Book of Malachi: Malachi’s oracles are an indictment of the human condition and Israel’s selfishness and sin. This book reiterates God’s promise that he will one day send a messenger and personally confront evil, restore his people, and bring his healing justice.
