You can find the Minor Prophets at the end of the Old Testament. The collection of the Minor Prophets is broken up to form twelve individual Books of the Bible, one for each of the prophets Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zachariah, and Malachi. The term “minor” doesn’t mean they are less important than the “major” prophets, like Isaiah and Ezekiel, it simply means that these books are not as long as the other prophetic books.
Most of the minor prophets lived between 800-400 BC. During this time, Israel and Judah experienced lots of oppression at the hands of the Assyrians and the Babylonians. These nations attacked, destroyed, and pillaged the Israelites’ land and sent many into exile. The prophets served as a way for God to speak to his people.
The reason the Israelites were facing such oppression was because of their own sins. They had fallen away from God and became more wicked than the nations that surrounded them. Instead of being an example for the world, Israel had become the hub for evil.
The prophets warned the people what would happen if they didn’t repent but they refused to listen. Time after time, the destruction these people prophesied came true, but by then it was too late. Israel experienced hundreds of years of turmoil during this time but God remained faithful. God used the nations of Assyria and Babylon as His vehicles for punishment but He never forgot His chosen people.
The prophets make this clear. In their prophecies, they proclaim judgment, but they also claim hope for the future. Every prophet was different but one message remained constant. Each one shed light on what God’s will was.
This message is still relevant to us today. The minor prophets and the rest of the Bible show us how to live godly lives and show us that God is returning for His people and He will make everything new. When Jesus does return, the Bible tells us that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess. (Philippians 2:10-11) The people who believe in Him before He comes will bow to their savior, but the people who refuse to believe (like the people in the Minor Prophets) will bow to their judge. It is up to us on how we will bow.
Key Takeaways:
God’s Will for our lives must be followed.
God is returning for His people and everything will be made new!
One day, every knee will bow. Will you be ready?
Parents, 3treesKIDS will also be learning about the Minor Prophets of the Bible this Sunday, both in-person and online.
Be sure to check out their lesson at www.3trees.com/kids.
To find service times and locations, visit https://www.3trees.com/planyourvisit.