Christ Through the Bible- The Twelve- Minor Prophets

Text: O Lord, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy. Hab.3:1

When we speak of The Minor Prophets, we refer to Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.  Though the message was shorter than the major prophets, they were no less powerful nor no less needed.  They should not be shunned just because they are labeled minor and not significant. Many have forsaken the truths revealed within these great books and have never taken the time to study them.  Such people have deprived themselves of great spiritual lessons that can be applied to Christians today.

In many of the scriptures, the warning given to Israel and Judah can also be applied to America.

 The major prophets tend to get all the attention due to the universal tendency to assume that bigger is better, other equally relevant but more concise representatives for God also have something to say. Over time they come to be known as the Minor Prophets, a term that refers to the shorter length of their books.

The mission of the Minor Prophets was threefold:

(1) to encourage disobedient people to repent from sin;

(2) to encourage wayward people to return to God, and

(3) to encourage the people to remember that God will ultimately triumph and God’s people will eventually be vindicated.

To fulfill this broad mission, the Minor Prophets used two primary methods:

(1) the prophets preached or proclaimed the Word of God.

(2) the prophets prophesied.

Sometimes these two methods are popularly called foretelling and forth-telling.

The Content of the Prophecies:

 Although there is some variety in the content of the prophecies of the Minor Prophets, most of the prophecies follow a basic fivefold pattern.

1) There is a warning of impending judgment because of sinfulness. These sins are often understood against a covenantal backdrop.

(2) The prophetic warning is often followed by an identification and description of the sin(s).

(3) Having identified the sin(s), the prophet then announces and describes coming judgment.

(4) Impending judgment is often followed by a call for repentance.

(5) The prophet then proclaims a promise of future deliverance and/or restoration.

Despite being separated from each other by over five hundred years, these prophets shared several messages which are relevant to this very day.  In each message of the prophet we will see how Christ is portrayed.  

Hosea- The Bridegroom

In his prophecies, Hosea denounces the corruption of the rich and powerful, whose indifference to injustice is leading the people towards inevitable destruction. While still outwardly powerful, the country’s foundations have been weakened and undermined during years of lawlessness and violence. Though his message is stark and dire, his belief in the people’s ability to repent and return is even more significant, and Hosea tries to convince them of the possibility of salvation, even when all seems lost. In its barest form, we have seen Christ in a relationship with the people that is founded on love, the love of a parent for an infant that He taught to walk (11:3), and we see Christ as the Bridegroom showing His love for His betrothed (2:16).

 Joel- The Baptizer

Messiah will offer salvation to all mankind (Joel 2:32, Rom 10:12-13)

Messiah would baptize people with the Holy Spirit (Joel 2:28-32)

Through repentance, disaster can be averted, and judgment can be transformed to mercy.  Joel is one of the few prophets who successfully effects a transformation among the people.

In the third chapter, the outpouring of rain becomes a metaphor for an outpouring of the LORD’s Holy Spirit among the people, as the judgment day, approaches.

 Amos- The Burden Bearer

God would darken the day at noon during Messiah's death (Amos 8:9, Matt 27:45-46)

 Amos prophesied in the middle of the eighth century BCE, in the generation preceding the destruction of the northern kingdom of Israel at the hands of Assyria in 722 BCE.

Amos describes himself as both a shepherd (1:1) and as a “tender of sycamore figs” (7:14). 

The book contains three main sections.

1.    The first two chapters state that just as other nations experienced disaster through their failure to behave morally, Israel will not escape a similar fate.

2.    The next four chapters wrestle with the people’s claim that their prosperity is evidence of God’s favor.

3.    The final three chapters describe in explicit detail the prophet’s visions of the disasters that await the people should they refuse to heed his warning and repent.

  Obadiah- The Mighty Savior

 The fourth book is the shortest book in the Tanakh. It contains one stark message consisting of criticism against Edom. Throughout history, Edom remained Israel’s merciless enemy, and hatred made even more unforgivable due to their close blood relationship: The Edomites were descendants of Esau, Jacob’s brother. The loathing for Edom became engraved in the Jewish mind, and in rabbinic thought, all of Israel’s enemies are Edom’s spiritual descendants.

 Jonah- The Resurrected Christ

The fifth book is one of the most famous books of the Bible and one of the least understood it contains. The excitement of the giant fish that swallows the runaway prophet. The suspense about whether the people of Nineveh will repent, and the question if God will carry out his threat to overturn the city.  All tend to overshadow the loud moral message contained in the book: the LORD is merciful, patient, and forgiving, even to the worst scoundrels and enemies that humanity knows, if they take steps towards justice, righteousness, and repentance.

Among the twelve minor prophets, Jonah himself is a type of Christ.  He was willing to die for his people.  He was in the “grave” the belly of the whale for three days.  He came back from the dead after three days to bring salvation to a wicked nation.

For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Matt. 12:40

 Nineveh was the capital of Assyria, and one can only imagine the feelings of the prophet when asked to prophesy to save the city of Nineveh, Israel’s most bitter enemy who would become the instrument of its annihilation. In Jonah’s mind, saving the city of Nineveh would make him complicit in the destruction of his people. Is this something he can do?

 The book can be divided into two sections of two chapters each. Each section contains a request by God that Jonah prophesies to the people of Nineveh, the Assyrian capital, and Jonah’s response. The first time, Jonah refuses to deliver the message and attempts to flee, only to be stopped by the LORD. The second time the LORD calls him, Jonah agrees, and tells the people of Nineveh that their end is near. They repent, and God chooses to forgive them. When the prophet complains, God demonstrates to him that His mercy extends to all the world’s inhabitants and creatures.

 Micah- King of the Jews

Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (Mic 5:2, Matt 2:1-2)

Messiah would be from everlasting (Mic 5:2, Rev:1-8)

The northern Kingdom of Israel is conquered and exiled by the Assyrian king Sargon II in 722 BCE, and just over twenty years later in 701 BCE, his son embarks on his own campaign of conquest, capturing all of Judah’s fortified cities and laying siege to Jerusalem. Only through God’s miraculous intervention by bringing a plague that strikes the Assyrian army at night, killing hundreds of thousands and causing their retreat, is the country saved.

 The brilliance of the Hebrew prophets is expressed in their understanding that these events were not accidental but were directly linked to the level of righteousness and justice among the nation. Judah, unlike the idolatrous Israel, Judah continued to worship the LORD. Like their northern brethren, however, unscrupulous officials in the cities profited from the labor of the hard-working farmers in the countryside. The prophet Micha was a strong opponent of these wealthy and powerful men, denouncing them at every opportunity. It is not surprising that scholars have referred to him as the “Amos of the southern Kingdom”. However, unlike Amos, Micha was somewhat successful in effecting a change among his people. When, a century later, Jeremiah is tried for sedition, the elders protested, reminding them:  Micah the Morasthite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and spake to all the people of Judah, saying, Thus, saith the LORD of hosts; Zion shall be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of a forest.

19 Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him at all to death? did he not fear the LORD, and besought the LORD, and the LORD repented him of the evil which he had pronounced against them? Thus, might we procure great evil against our souls. (Jeremiah 26:18-19).

 The structure of the book is straightforward. It contains three sections beginning in chapters 1, 3, and 6. In each section, Micha outlines God’s complaint before the people, clarifies what the LORD wants from them, and concludes with a message of hope and salvation.

 Nahum- The Avenger of God's Elect

 The seventh book begins, “A pronouncement on Nineveh.  We know nothing about the person behind the prophecy, nor can we identify the location of Elkosh.

 What this small book does, however, is concentrate upon the imminent downfall of the Assyrian empire, which had brutally dominated the Middle East for over five centuries. The book provides a general outline of the period in which it was written; it mentions the Assyrian conquest of Thebes (No-Ammon) in 663 BCE and prophesies about the future ransacking of the Assyrian capital Nineveh, which fell in the combined assault of Babylonia and Media in 612 BCE. These references position Nahum in the middle of the seventh century BCE, a time when the helpless Kingdom of Judah barely enjoyed vassal status in the vast Assyrian empire.

 The empty fields of the exiled kingdom of Israel to the north of Yehuda served as a grim reminder of what awaited them should they similarly choose disobedience.

 Its single-mindedness empowers the message of Nahum's prophecy:  those who trust in God will find shelter while the rest of the world trembles. The second chapter provides glimpses and flashes of Nineveh’s imminent destruction. The final chapter explains the reason for Nineveh’s sudden fall.

 Habakkuk- The Great Evangelist, Crying for Revival

Messiah would come from Teman at His return, full of glory (Hab 3:3) Teman was east of Israel.

For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Matt.24:27

Typified in the life of Habakkuk (his intercession and prayer for his people)

The eighth book is unique among the prophetic works of the Bible. In most works, the prophets convey God’s message to the people.  He saw that evil remained unpunished and unbowed and challenged Heaven for a response. God does respond, and challenges Habakkuk to wait and see how the Divine plan plays out through history. Until then, “the righteous man is rewarded with life for his fidelity” (2:4).

 We know little about the prophet’s personal life. His name, from the Hebrew word to ‘embrace,’ appears only here. Most scholars place him near the end of Assyria’s reign. That superpower, which brutally enslaved the Middle East for centuries, was about to collapse. Unlike his predecessor Nahum, who rejoiced in Assyria’s imminent downfall, Habakkuk saw that an even crueler and more vicious foe, Babylon, would arise and take its place.

 Ancient traditions identify Habakkuk as the son of the Shunammite woman who Elisha revived, and as one who was called by angels to feed Daniel when Daniel was in the lion’s den. What this teaches is that his message was understood to span generations. Each era faces its challenges to their beliefs, but we are called upon to trust in God and His righteousness.

 This short book contains three sections; a two-part dialogue with the LORD, a series of taunts towards Israel’s former oppressors, and a final request of God to overthrow all evil and injustice in the world.

 Zephaniah- The Restorer of the Remnant 

The ninth book describes the last of the twelve prophets to speak before Judah’s final disintegration and dissolution by Babylonia at the end of the seventh century BCE.  In the country, wealthy courtiers profited from the toil of the oppressed citizenry.

Zephaniah speaks about how the people of God must live in righteousness, which involves respecting the needs of the poor and engaging in genuine worship. Otherwise, he warns, the LORD is preparing a day of judgment, a “Day of the LORD.” It is up to the people to decide whether that judgment will befall them, or their enemies.

 The book contains five sections in its three chapters.

1.    Chapter 1 warns about the approach of Divine judgment on the world, including Judah.

2.    Chapter 2 repeats the warning for specific other countries, excluding Judah.

3.    Chapter 3 then begins with Judah’s call to judgment, continues with God’s punishment and concludes with the prophet urging Zion and Israel to rejoice, for, after the judgment, God’s love and care for them will become evident to all.

 Haggai- The Cleansing Fountain

Messiah would visit the 2nd temple (Hag 2:6-9, Luke 2:27-32)

 The tenth book is the first book written after the first wave of exiles returns to Jerusalem in 536 BCE.

 After the Persian empire defeated the Babylonians, Cyrus the Great allowed the Jewish exiles to return home. Those Jews who returned to their ancestral land did so filled with idealism and hope, but soon the harsh reality of rebuilding their destroyed homes and repairing their scorched fields overtook them. The land was parched, the rains did not fall, and the returnees were barely capable of sustaining themselves. At the same time, the Persian empire was shaken by a series of revolts (522-520 BCE), and the people who had moved into the land of Israel in their absence began making trouble for the returnees.

 Into this picture stepped Haggai. He carried a brief, direct message. The people who lived in Israel were not sinners, but they were so concerned with their individual lives, needs and wants that they forgot the primary purpose of the return. The reason the people of Israel were to dwell in the land of Israel was to proclaim the name of the God of Israel. Instead of concerning themselves with their personal needs, the people must dedicate their efforts to building a second Temple, where God’s Presence can rest and from there, emanate all over the world.

 If the people of Israel would recognize the greater significance of their actions and efforts, not only would they receive rains of blessing, but they would also affect change the world over. As described in Ezra (chapter 6), Haggai’s efforts were not in vain; through his encouragement, the people completed building the Temple and dedicated it in 516 BCE.

 Zechariah- The Pierced Son

Messiah would be Priest and King (Zech. 6:12-13, Heb 8:1)

Messiah would ride into Jerusalem on a donkey (Zech. 9:9, Matt 21:6-9)

Messiah would be God (Zech. 11:12-13, John 12:45)

Messiah would be pierced (Zech. 12:10, John 19:34-37)

The eleventh book is one of the most mysterious books of the Bible. It is the second of the three books written during the period of return to the land of Israel after the Persians defeated the Babylonians in 538 BCE. Several of Zechariah’s prophecies are dated to the second and fourth years of the reign of Darius (520 and 518 BCE), at the time when the construction of the second Temple had begun in earnest under the Persian-appointed governor Zerubbabel. As such, it is not surprising that many of the visions in the book describe the significance of the Temple and its reconstruction, and how it could potentially allow Divine sovereignty to spread throughout the world.

 We know more about Zechariah than we do most other prophets. Like Ezekiel, he was a priest, and his grandfather, Ido, is mentioned among the kohanim in Ezra chapter 5.  His contemporaries include the prophet Haggai, who began prophesying two months before him, and the high priest Joshua. However, his message differs from that of Haggai, whose single-minded focus was the encouragement of the Jewish people to build the Temple, so that God’s rule could spread over the world. To this message, Zechariah adds a religious and moral dimension. He encourages the people to repent, emphasizes that God’s rule stands in contrast to military might – “Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit” (4:6) – and stresses that ritual fast day have no value unless accompanied by the spiritual improvement.

 The book has three clear parts. The first six chapters describe a series of visions he has regarding the building of the Temple and its significance. In the next two chapters, he answers questions from the Jews who remained in Babylonia, about how to adapt religiously to the new reality of a rebuilt Israel. The final six chapters deal with visions of the distant future: Chapters 9-11 describe the restoration of Judah and Ephraim and the imminent destruction of those nations that stand against Israel, and the final three chapters describe the tribulations that Jerusalem will face in the period preceding the end of days.

 Malachi-  The Son of Righteousness

 The last book of the Twelve, not only concludes the twelve prophets in this book but also represents the end of the era of prophecy in Israel. As such, this book must be understood as a transition. The people are adjusting to life in the resettled land of Israel, and to a world without prophecy. The book’s theme is outlined at the outset – God’s love for His people Israel has never waned. The prophet is motivated to rebuke the children of Israel so that they again become worthy of receiving His love.

 It is difficult to pinpoint precisely when Malachi lived, or even if this was his name or a title of some sort, as it means “my messenger.” The Talmud also suggests that he was Ezra.

 The enthusiasm that had accompanied the original pilgrims and returnees had dissipated, and the people’s moral standards had slipped. Offerings were given at the Temple, but only perfunctorily, without emotion or passion. Gifts and tithes were only occasionally brought to Jerusalem. There was a problem of intermarriage between Jewish men and local Canaanite women and other foreigners, like the difficulties faced by Ezra when he arrived in Israel in 458 BCE. The underlying malaise that gripped the people was that they did not consider themselves unique or worthy of God’s attention or affection. This sense permeated their lives, and the commandments were performed by rote, if at all.

 In chapter 1, Malachi reiterates God’s love for Israel and then outlines the general problem that their lives were devoid of spiritual passion and enthusiasm. When they asked “how have we scorned Your name” and “how have we defiled You” (verses 6 and 7), Malachi is prepared to answer, pointing to the meager offerings they brought to Jerusalem. Much of the rebuke occurs in question and answer form; he wishes for his listeners to understand and internalize his message. He then scolds them that the Gentiles would never bring such pitiful offerings, a remarkable statement that recognizes that all sincere worship is ultimately directed towards the LORD, Jewish and non-Jewish.

 In chapter 2, Malachi addresses the priests and places upon them a new charge – beyond their ritual responsibilities, and they are to become teachers of the Law to the people. He then rebukes the people for profaning their holiness through intermarriage, often at the expense of the wives of their youth. In the final chapter, Malachi describes how God will send His messenger to purify the people of their sins before judging them so that their offerings and their lives will once again be pleasant before the Lord.