Untitled Sermon (8)

Minor prophets

What is a prophet?

A Prophet

Generic Person • Religious Position • Role • A person who spoke divinely inspired messages. In biblical times, a prophet was a recognized formal role, but sometimes acted outside formal structures.

PROPHETS, THE The name for the prophetic books of the Old Testament. In the Christian Bible, this group is divided into the Major Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel), and the Minor Prophets (Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi).

In the Hebrew Bible, the canonical division of the Prophets is called the Nebiim and includes all of these—except Lamentations and Daniel—as the “Latter Prophets.” The “Former Prophets” in the Nebiim is made up of the books of Joshua, Judges, 1–2 Samuel, and 1–2 Kings.

The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Introduction)

Although the word “prophecy” often evokes images of people who predict the future, Hebrew prophets primarily anticipated the punishment of evil and/or a better life on earth for faithful Israelites (e.g., Isa 24:21–23; 26:1–6, 19; 27:12–13; 45:1–8; 60:1–22; Ezek 36–39; Zech 9; 14). They spoke the truth about the present and what would happen if people did not change their behavior and return to Yahweh’s ways.When Hebrew prophets did focus on the future, they usually were concerned with the short-term future. For example, they predicted the fall of Israel or Judah or the end of the Babylonian or Assyrian empires—events that ultimately fulfilled God’s intentions or righteousness. At times, prophecies also concerned events far into the future. For instance, Old Testament prophecies do not reference Jesus by name, but they do speak about what a future Messiah or Suffering Servant would accomplish. The New Testament writers interpreted Old Testament texts as predictions of Jesus’ birth, career, death, and resurrection (see Matt 1:22–23; Luke 1:32–33; Acts 2:22–35). Some events spoken of in biblical prophetic works have yet to occur, as with the New Testament promises of Jesus’ return in Revelation (Rev 7; 22).While the biblical prophets were primarily concerned with their original audience, their writings offer modern readers insight into God’s will and divine justice.Historical OverviewThe earliest canonical prophetic books date to the eighth century BC; the so-called writing prophets emerged around the 10th/ninth century BC. Public writing, as attested by the number of public inscriptions that have been found, emerged in the 10th/9th century BC, and the canonical “Writing Prophets” emerged beginning in the eighth century with Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, and Micah.However, the designation “writing prophets” does not mean that the prophets themselves were literate (though they may have been), only that their sayings have been preserved in volumes attributed to them. Jeremiah 51:60 does record that the prophet Jeremiah “wrote on a scroll all the disasters that would befall Babylon,” but this may mean that he instructed a scribe to write the sayings (see Jer 51:59). Aside from the book of Jeremiah, little is known about the writing process of the prophetic books.

The Lexham Bible Dictionary Eighth-Century Prophets

Eighth-Century Prophets

The four eighth-century prophetic books—the earliest prophetic books in the Christian canon—include Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, and Micah. These books open with superscriptions that date them during the reign of one or more kings of Israel and Judah.

Micah: A prophet to the kingdom of Judah around the same time as Isaiah. He also criticizes the elite for enriching themselves through oppression of the poor and needy. His messages both warn of judgment and predict future hope and deliverance.

Micah prophesied during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah—kings of Judah.

Outline of Micah

• 1:1–3:12—Judgment for Israel and Judah

• 1:1—Introduction: Identifies the prophet Micah and the collection of prophecies

• 1:2—A lawsuit brought by Yahweh against the people

• 1:3–5—Judgment on Samaria and Jerusalem for inappropriate worship

• 1:6–7—Destruction of Samaria for the sin of prostitution (idol worship)

• 1:8—The prophet acts out his response to the destruction he foresees for Judah

• 1:9—Samaria’s wound has come to Judah; Sennacherib’s campaign in Judah

• 1:10–16—Warning and declaration of exile addressed to places.

• 2:1–2—Woe to the unjust

• 2:3–5—Yahweh’s response to their wickedness

• 2:6–11—Indictment of false prophets

• 2:6–7—False prophets admonish against the preaching of destruction and judgment