Intro to Minor Prophets

OT is broken up into different sections

Pentateuch

Historical books

Books of Wisdom

Prophetic Books

Major Prophets (3 books)

Minor Prophets (12 books)

Prophetic books are distinguished by length, not importance

Prophets came about after the collapse of the priestly representatives and the fall away of Solomon.

What is a prophet? someone who speaks God’s truth to others; the bible names over 130 prophets; 15 of the books of the OT are considered prophetic because of the message they have.

There was a basic prophetic message

Standard Preexilic Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Micah, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah)

occured prior to the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile in 586 BC

All contained similar themes and message

1. You have broken the covenant; you need to repent

2. If you don’t repent, there is judgement

3. But there is hope beyond judgement for a future restoration of Israel and Judah and for all nations

Non-standard Preexilic Prophets (Obadiah, Nahum, and Jonah)

occured prior to the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile in 586 BC

They had a different audience they were preaching to, so it was different

preached to the nations (Edom and Nineveh)

Postexilic Prophets (Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi)

delivered their message after the return of the exiles to Jerusalem from Babylonian/Persian exile

pointed to rebuilding and the restoration of the land

themes of hope and disillusionment

dealing with present depression while pointing to future glory

If you wanted to give a core theme to the minor prophets

Repent, the day of the Lord is at hand. If you don’t, there will be judgment. God loves you.

Why study prophetic books?

ultimately they point to redemption; the redemption that we have received in Christ

they point to God’s promises to his people and him following through with it

they point out God’s characteristics so that we can learn more about him

they are God’s word

2 Peter 1:20–21 “20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

2 Timothy 3:16 “16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,”

We can learn a lot from the prophets; patience

James 5:7–12 ESV

7 Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. 10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful. 12 But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.

patience; they told about things that would come only to not see everything happen

this can be frustrating; but patience builds trust and trust builds up obedience; we will grow in our trust and obedience as we take what God has spoken in his word from the prophets and learn from it.