Rush City Baptist Church
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Minor Prophets, Major Profit
Sunday, March 2, 2008
We began a new sermon series on the relatively unknown Minor Prophets. Take a few moments and see how well you do on the quiz. You can even use your Bible to find the answers. If you miss more than half you have to sit in the front pews throughout the sermons series.
___ Hosea a. A short judgment on the nation of Edom
___ Joel b. The exilic prophet who wrote 6 oracles to Israel
___ Amos c. A contemporary of Isaiah who wrote in poetry form
___ Obadiah d. He focused on the coming day of the Lord
___ Jonah e. A shepherd and sycamore gatherer turned prophet
___ Micah f. An oracle concerning the judgment of Nineveh
___ Nahum g. The prophet’s broken marriage paralleled Israel’s sin
___ Habakkuk h. A contemporary of Haggai who returned from exile
___ Zephaniah i. The prophet to Israel’s enemy, the Assyrians
___ Haggai j. The prophet who dialogued with God about people
___ Zechariah k. A locust plague signaled the day of the Lord
___ Malachi l. The prophet called the exiles to rebuild the temple
You will find the answers at the end of the sermon.
INTRODUCTION: The 12 so-called Minor Prophets are distinguished from the Major Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel). In the Hebrew canon they are grouped together as one book called The Twelve. They were first designed the Minor Prophets by the Latin Church in the time of Augustine and Jerome on account of their brevity as compared to the Major Prophets. The Twelve were grouped together in the Hebrew Bible because they were small, and as separate rolls, might have become lost.
The chronological ministry of the Minor Prophets ranges from the 8th century B.C. to the 5th, and thus provides on the one hand a continuous witness concerning the contemporary moral, spiritual, and political situation of Israel and Judah, as well as a prophetic testimony concerning the future of God’s people, the Gentile nations, and the messianic kingdom. The ministries of the Minor Prophets correspond to the three international eras that brought the Old Testament period to an end. The first time period was the Assyrian domination that culminated with the fall of the Northern Kingdom of Israel in 722 B.C. The spiritual and political downfall of Israel is chronicled in the book of 2 Kings. The Minor Prophets who assessed the moral and spiritual decline that led to the captivity of the Northern Kingdom included Amos (1:1), Hosea (1:1) and Micah (1:1). Although Jonah’s ministry was to the Assyrian capitol of Nineveh, he was a contemporary of Hosea and Amos. We know this from a reference made to Jonah in 2 Kings 14: “In the fifteenth year of Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah, Jeroboam son of Jehoash king of Israel became king in Samaria, and he reigned forty-one years. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord and did not turn away from any of the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit. He was the one who restored the boundaries of Israel from Lebo Hamath to the Sea of the Arabah, in accordance with the word of the Lord, the God of Israel, spoken through his servant Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath Hepher.” (2 Kings 14:23-25)
The second time period was the Babylonian era that led up to and culminated in the captivity of the Southern Kingdom of Judah in 586 B.C. Zephaniah, Habakkuk, Nahum and Obadiah were raised up by God to warn Judah that what happened to the Northern Kingdom of Israel would also happen to her if she did not turn away from her idolatry. Bullock writes, “With the passing of time historical memory faded; the tragedy of 722 diminished as a moral example, and Judah stood on the same treacherous precipice as had her sister Israel. This group of prophets, with irresistible compulsion, tried to coax Judah away from the edge of the abyss and announced the bad news of what would happen if she did not move back into the safety zone of covenantal observance.”The third time period was after the exile, during the Persian period. The Persian king Cyrus issued a decree in 538 B.C. that allowed the Jews to return to their homeland and rebuild their temple and the city of Jerusalem. Four prophets, Haggai, Zechariah, Joel, and Malachi, spoke to the returning exiles about this hope of a coming messianic kingdom.
What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word “prophecy”? Predicting what is to come. Most dictionaries define “prophecy” as “foretelling or predicting something to come.” Because of this, many Christians refer to the prophets for information concerning the end of the age and the millennial kingdom. But in fact, less than 2% of the Old Testament prophecy is messianic. Less than 5% specifically describes the New Covenant age. Less than 1% concerns events yet to come. We should better view the prophets as spokespersons. Instead of viewing the prophets as foretellers of the future, we should more accurately see them as forthtellers of God Word to God’s people.
Several things must be emphasized to give us a clear understanding of the role and function of the prophet in Israel. First, the prophets were covenant enforcement mediators. When God entered into a covenant with Israel He gave them not only rules to keep but also described the sort of punishment that would be applied if they did not keep the Law, as well as the benefits He would impart to them if they did. God did not only give the Law, He also enforced it. Positive enforcement is blessing; negative enforcement is curse (Deuteronomy 28). This was the job of the prophet; God announced the enforcement of His law through them, so that the events of the blessing and curse would be clearly understood by His people. Second, the prophets’ message was not their own, but God’s. The two most repeated phrases in the prophetic books are “The word of the Lord came to me” or “This is what the Lord says.” As a result, the prophets’ message was unoriginal. The prophets were inspired by God to present the essential content of the Law’s warnings and promises. Therefore, when we read the prophets’ words, what we read is nothing genuinely new, but the same message in essence delivered by God originally through Moses.
What are the benefits of studying the Minor Prophets? First, the apostle Paul tells us that, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16). So, we know that studying the Minor Prophets can be very profitable. The prophets had to be individuals of outstanding character, great minds, and courageous souls to perform the task to which God called them. They did not come to their office by inheritance, having been born into a prophetic family. Each prophet was selected by God and called to a work God had for him to do. The prophets faithfully communicated God’s message to their audience even though they were often neglected and abused for their message. They feared the wrath of God more than the wrath of man. The prophets’ time was similar to our own time. They lived during a period of political and military unrest as more powerful nations threatened the security of Israel and Judah. They lived during a time of spiritual turmoil as God’s people became unfaithful to God and pursued the gods of the nations around them. They lived during a time of moral and ethical decline.
The prophets spoke a timeless message of memorable sayings. “What can I do with you, Ephraim? What can I do with you, Judah? Your love is like the morning mist, like the early dew that disappears. Therefore I cut you in pieces with my prophets, I killed you with the words of my mouth; my judgments flashed like lightning upon you. For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings” (Hosea 6:4-6). “Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity” (Joel 2:13). “Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” (Amos 5:23-24). “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior” (Habakkuk 3:17-18).
Check out your answers on the quiz.
Hosea (G) – the prophet’s broken marriage paralleled Israel’s sin. “When the Lord began to speak through Hosea, the Lord said to him, ‘Go, take to yourself an adulterous wife and children of unfaithfulness, because the land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the Lord.’” (1:2)
Joel (K) – a locust plague signaled the destructive day of the Lord. “What the locust swarm has left the great locusts have eaten; what the great locusts have left the young locusts have eaten; what the young locusts have left other locusts have eaten.” (1:4)
Amos (E) – a shepherd and sycamore gatherer turned prophet. “Amos answered Amaziah, ‘I was neither a prophet nor a prophet’s son, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees. But the Lord took me from tending the flock and said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’” (7:14-15)
Obadiah (A) – a short judgment against the nation of Edom. “The vision of Obadiah. This is what the Sovereign Lord says about Edom.” (1:1)
Jonah (I) – the prophet to Israel’s enemy, the Assyrians. “The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: ‘Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.’” (1:1-2)
Micah (C) – a contemporary of Isaiah who wrote in poetry form. “Look! The Lord is coming from his dwelling place; he comes down and treads the high places of the earth. The mountains melt beneath him and the valleys split apart, like wax before the fire, like water rushing down a slope.” (1:3-4)
Nahum (F) – the oracle concerning the judgment of Nineveh. “An oracle concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.” (1:1)
Habakkuk (J) – the prophet who dialogued with God about people. “How long, O Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save? Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds.” (1:2-3)
Zephaniah (D) – the prophet who focused on the coming day of the Lord. “Be silent before the Sovereign Lord, for the day of the Lord is near. The Lord has prepared a sacrifice; he has consecrated those he has invited.” (1:7)
Haggai (L) – the prophet who called the returned exiles to rebuild the temple. “Then the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: ‘Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?’” (1:3-4)
Zechariah (H) – a contemporary of Haggai who returned from the exile. “In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah.” (1:1)
Malachi (B) – the exilic prophet who write 6 oracles to Israel. “An oracle: The word of the Lord to Israel through Malachi.” (1:1)