The Minor Prophets (Part 3)

8. Habakkuk

•      Name means “One Who Clings” (cf. 3:17-19).

•      Contemporaries: Jeremiah, Nahum, Zephaniah.

•      Prophesied in Judah c. 610-605 BC about the impending judgment of God by the hands of the Babylonians.

•      How can a righteous God use a wicked nation to carry out judgment?

Message of Habakkuk

•      God is just.

•      Judah will be punished at the hands of the Babylonians, but the Babylonians will also be punished for their wickedness. 

•      Even when we don’t understand God’s ways, we can trust that his ways are right.

•      Habakkuk 3:18, “Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.”

9. Zephaniah

•      Name means “Yahweh Hides.”

•      Prophesied in Judah c. 630-622 BC. 

•      Contemporaries: Jeremiah, Nahum, Habakkuk.

•      Zephaniah’s purpose was to initiate change by pronouncing God’s judgment; just prior to Josiah’s reforms (621 BC).

Message of Zephaniah

•      The day of the LORD’s judgment is fast approaching.

•      Be humble and seek the LORD.

•      Beyond judgment the LORD intends to restore his people.

•      Zephaniah 3:12, “I will leave in your midst a meek and humble people, and they shall trust in the name of the LORD.”

10. Haggai

•      Name means “Festive.”

•      Prophesied c. 520 BC, the second year of Darius king of Persia. 

•      Contemporary of Zechariah. 

•      Some Jews have returned from exile to their homeland to rebuild the temple, but over a decade and a half later it is not finished.

•      Haggai preaches a series of fiery sermons to motivate them to complete the project.

Message of Haggai

•      The importance of getting priorities in order: “Consider your ways” (1:5, 7; 2:15, 18).

•      The importance of the temple to glorify God among his people (1:8; 2:7-9).

•      Reassurance of God’s abiding presence (1:13; 2:4, 5).

•      Haggai 2:9, “‘The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,’ says the LORD of hosts. ‘And in this place I will give peace,’ says the LORD of hosts” (cp. Luke 2:21-49; Matt. 26:55).

11. Zechariah

•      Name means “Yahweh Remembers.”

•      Prophesied c. 520 BC, the second year of Darius king of Persia. 

•      Contemporary of Haggai.

•      Like Haggai, Zechariah is commissioned to motivate the post-exilic Jews, but unlike the fiery motivational speeches of Haggai, Zechariah encourages with positive glimpses of Jerusalem’s future. 

Message of Zechariah

•      Learn from and do not repeat the sins of your forefathers.

•      Visions of Jerusalem’s glorious future.

•      Warnings to the enemies of God’s people.

•      Messianic allusions (e.g. 9:9; 12:10; 13:7; 14:9).

•      Zechariah 1:3, “Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘Return to me,’ says the LORD of hosts, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the LORD of hosts.”

12. Malachi

•      Name means “My Messenger.”

•      Prophesied to post-exilic Jews (c. 450-430 BC); contemporary of Ezra and Nehemiah.

•      Rebukes corrupt priests, no sabbath-keeping, failure to tithe, divorce and religiously mixed marriages, and various social problems.

Message of Malachi

•      The LORD deserves to be respected, honored, and worshiped.

•      The LORD expects faithfulness and permanence in marriage. 

•      An Elijah-like figure will prepare the way for the coming of the Lord and subsequent judgment against nationalistic Judaism (3:1; 4:5-6).

•      Malachi 3:6-7, “‘For I am the LORD, I do not change …Return to me, and I will return to you,’ says the LORD of hosts …”

Conclusion:

Each of these “minor” prophets challenged the people of his day to be faithful to Yahweh. Warnings of judgment are balanced by hope for the future. Each prophet, as a voice for God, is still worth listening to. 

--Kevin L. Moore

Related Posts: Minor Prophets (Part 1), Part 2

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Image credit: http://cornerstonechurch.co.za/the-book-of-zechariah/

The Minor Prophets (Part 2)

4. Obadiah

•      Name means “Worshiper or Servant of Yahweh.”

•      The shortest book of the OT.

•      The Babylonians have conquered Judah (586 BC) with the help of Judah’s neighbor the Edomites. 

Message of Obadiah

•      Divine judgment against the nation of Edom.

•      God’s people will be restored.

•      Obadiah 1:10, “For violence against your brother Jacob, shame shall cover you, and you shall be cut off forever.”

•      The Edomites were driven out of their land by the Nabateans in the 4th century BC and had vanished from history by the end of the 1st century AD. 

5. Jonah

•      Name means “dove.”

•      Jonah lived in the 8th century BC (2 Kgs 14:25).

•      The book of Jonah is not the message from a prophet but a series of events in the life of a prophet. 

•      Jonah ran from God (chap. 1), then to God (chap. 2), then with God (chap. 3); then was taught by God (chap. 4).

Message of Jonah

•      God is a universal God who cares for all people, even heathen nations.

•      God extends his love even to non-Jewish people in the OT, providing opportunity to come to him.

•      Jonah was a reluctant missionary, demonstrating resistance to God’s desire for a light-shining people (Ex. 19:3-9; Isa. 43:8-13; Acts 13:47; etc.).

•      Jonah 4:2b, “for I know that you are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in loving-kindness, One who relents from doing harm.” 

6. Micah

•      Name means “Who is like Yahweh.”

•      Prophesied in Judah (c. 735-700 BC); contemporary of Isaiah.

•      Quoted by Jeremiah about a century later (Jer. 26:18-19).

•      Rebukes particularly the wealthy and powerful in Judah for their mistreatment of the poor.

Message of Micah

•      Exposes and rebukes the sins of his people.

•      Warning of God’s judgment.

•      Promise of redemption.

•      Messianic hope.

•      Micah 6:8, “He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?”

7. Nahum

•      Name means “Comfort or Consolation.”

•      Prophesied in Judah c. 625-612 BC.

•      Contemporaries: Jeremiah, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, all prophesied against Judah.

•      About a century prior to Nahum’s ministry, God had given the people of Nineveh the opportunity to repent through Jonah’s preaching.

•      Now they have reverted back to their old sinful ways, and Nahum prophesies against them.

•      Nineveh is the capital of Assyria.

Message of Nahum

•      This message of doom against the people of Nineveh was probably intended to give comfort to the people of Judah, who were being afflicted by the Assyrians.

•      God is in control.

•      God is patient, but it is not limitless.

•      God hates evil and holds sinners accountable.

•      God does not forsake his people.

•      Nahum 1:7, “The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and he knows those who trust in him.”

--Kevin L. Moore

Related Posts: Minor Prophets (Part 1), Part 3, Nahum

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