Day 5
The Twelve Minor Prophets consists of the last twelve books
of the Old Testament. These books has no less value than the other books in the
Old Testament, they were just not as well known as the other prophets.
In each of these books, God had a message for His people and He chose
this particular author to present it. Now let us examine each of the authors to
learn what we can about them.
Note:
These twelve books were not cannoned in the order in which the events
occurred.
Hosea: The author was Hosea son of Beeri. Hosea lived and ministered in Israel in
the days of the Divided Kingdom. He
preached during the later years of Jeroboam II, a time of great material
prosperity. Israel was the Northern
Kingdom.
The name Hosea means “salvation.” Very little is known about Hosea other than
what is contained in his prophesy.
We will learn more about Hosea in a later chapter.
Joel:
Written by Joel the son of Pethuel.
The name Joel means “the Lord is God.” No date is given by Joel for his
ministry. He mentions a
still-standing Jerusalem. The
enemies he speaks of are those of Judah before the Babylonian Captivity. But we cannot fix the exact time of his
writing.
Amos:
Amos was a herdsman in Judah when called by God to preach against the social and
economic sins of the Northern Kingdom, Israel. He spoke in the reign of Jeroboam II,
near 760 B.C.
A
poor man who was a shepherd from Tekoa (Amos
1-1)
and who cared for sycamore trees (whose fruit was a food of the poor), was
suddenly taken from his humble country roots and called to service as God’s
prophet (Amos
7:14,15). He traveled to the worship centers of
Israel, where the rich idled, to proclaim God’s condemnation of their distorted
values.
Obadiah: Very little is known about Obadiah whose
name means “servant (or worshipper) of the Lord.” Obadiah is the shortest book
in the Old Testament, and centers around the hostility of the Edomites (the
descendants of Esau) toward the Israelites (the descendants of
Jacob).
Jonah:
This book is written by Jonah son of Amittia. Second
Kings 14:23-25 states that Jonah
was from Gath Hepher, about two miles northeast of Nazareth. This book is extremely different from
the other books written by the Prophets.
Jonah not only tells of the calling of God, but of his struggle to avoid
it. The book of Jonah is widely
taught in our churches, not to give Jonah glory, but as a lesson as to what not
to do if you are called to service by God.
Micah: Written by Micah, a
native of Moresheth, near Gath, about 20 miles southwest of Jerusalem. The Prophet Micah ministered to the
Southern Kingdom, Judah. He lived
in the time of Isaiah, during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. His careful dating of his ministry lets
us know the historical background of his words. Micah was respected in his own time, and
King Hezekiah responded to his preaching (Jeremiah
26:17-19).
The name Micah means “Who is like the Lord.” the prophet apparently makes a wordplay on this when he asks, “Who is a God like You?” (Micah 7:18).
Nahum:
The name Nahum means “comfort” or “consolation”, even though Nahum’s entire
message dealt with the destruction of Nineveh. The Books of Obadiah and Nahum are
seldom taught today because their content was strictly for Judah and
Assyria.
Nahum
spoke of God as “jealous.” A
weakness in human beings, when “jealousy” is ascribed to God it indicates His
zeal for and commitment to His people.
Habakkuk: It is best to
place this prophet, unknown except through his book, in the days of Josiah. Habakkuk means “the embracer” or “the
wrestler.” These meanings
correspond to Habakkuk’s “wrestling” with the questions of why God would allow
evil to go unpunished and then bring calamity on His own people (Habakkuk
1:13).
Zephaniah: Zephaniah was a
descendant of Judah’s King Hezekiah.
He preached in the time of Josiah, another godly king. Zephaniah has been called the “prophet
of universal judgment.” He looked far ahead, and described a day when God will
judge, and history will demonstrate His sovereignty.
Haggai: The author,
Haggai, was a prophet who spoke to the tiny Jewish community which had settled
again in the Promised Land after the Babylonian Captivity. Little is known of the prophet. Jewish tradition suggests he was a
priest. The precise dates given for
each prophetic message helps us date this book probably more accurately than any
other book in the bible. We know
that Haggai prophesied from August to December in 520 B.C. His mention of Darius in connection with
the prophecies (Haggai
1:1, 15; 2:10) would indicate he
was probably quite old when he prophesied and his death would be one explanation
for his brevity as a prophet.
Zechariah: The meaning of
Zechariah’s name is “the Lord remembers.” This is a significant theme for his
book. Zechariah also includes the
names of some of his ancestors.
Berekiah which means “the Lord blesses,” and Iddo which means “the
appointed time.” He was of the
priestly line since Iddo is listed as the head of a returning priestly family
(Nehemiah
12:4,16). The ministry of Zechariah began in 520
B.C. and overlapped that of Haggai (Zechariah
1:1, Haggai 1:1; 2:20).
Malachi: This last of the
Old Testament prophets, Malachi ministered in Judah between 460 and 430
B.C. His words paint a picture of
the little settlement of Jews that
had returned from Babylon to settle there of 115 years
before.
The temple had been completed, and the people worshiped there, they religiously
followed the rituals and offered the required sacrifices. Haggai and Zechariah were dead, and the
religious enthusiasm these prophets stimulated with their prophesies had now
drained away.
Nehemiah’s ministry as governor was over, but the complaints that Malachi
recorded indicate the same sins still existed with God’s
people.
Malachi’s blunt report of God’s words exposes the attitude of those whose love
for God had grown cold. How
important for us, as Christians, to remember the message of
Malachi.
Daily
Bible Readings
Read the Book of
Malachi. It’s only three
chapters.
This
Web Page Created with PageBreeze
Free Website
Builder