Faith & Reason Nexus

In this fifth session on the 12 minor prophets of the Old Testament, it’s important to clarify that the term “minor prophets” doesn’t imply that these prophets are lesser in importance compared to the major prophets. The distinction between major and minor prophets is based solely on the length of their respective books, not on the significance of the prophets themselves or their faith.

Here are the 12 books of the minor prophets in the Old Testament:

• Hosea
• Joel
• Amos
• Obadiah
• Jonah
• Micah
• Nahum
• Habakkuk
• Zephaniah
• Haggai
• Zechariah
• Malachi

Instead of discussing these books in the order they appear in the Bible, we’ll explore them according to the historical context of each book. Both approaches have their own benefits.

We are currently discussing two books from the minor prophets: Hosea and Amos. Both prophets address the situation in Israel, focusing on who they are, what they prophesied, and how they delivered their messages.

After the nation of Israel divided into two kingdoms, the northern kingdom fell into severe moral and spiritual decline. When God sought to call the people of Israel to repentance through the prophets, many of these prophets were mistreated or even killed. As a result, God decided that the people needed to see the consequences of their actions, not just hear about them through prophecy.

Hosea was a young man called by God to prophesy to the northern kingdom by marrying a prostitute named Gomer. When people questioned his marriage, Hosea explained that the relationship between God and the people of Israel was like his marriage to Gomer. They had three children whose names were symbolic:

1. Jezreel – meaning “valley of bloodshed,” symbolizing the violence and judgment that would come upon Israel.
2. Lo-Ruhamah – meaning “no grace,” indicating that God would no longer show mercy to Israel.
3. Lo-Ammi – meaning “not my people,” reflecting Israel’s broken relationship with God.

Gomer eventually ran away from Hosea, but in chapter 3, God instructed Hosea to take her back. Hosea bought her back as a slave for silver and told her not to leave him again. This act symbolized God’s enduring love for Israel, despite their unfaithfulness.

Hosea’s prophecy, which likely took place between 800 and 750 BC, reveals God’s perspective on the northern kingdom’s sins, including their sexual immorality, idolatry, and transformation from a godly nation to a godless one. Chapters 9 and 10 specifically compare Israel’s sin to turning pure wine and figs into dirt, highlighting their deep corruption.

Amos was not originally a prophet and did not come from the northern kingdom. He likely lived around the same time as Isaiah, in the southern kingdom. Amos was a shepherd, specifically taking care of a special and expensive breed of sheep called Noqod. God called Amos to go to the northern kingdom to deliver His message.

In the northern kingdom, prophets were often met with hostility, and it was common for them to be stoned when people heard prophecies against them. However, Amos used a clever approach to his prophecy. He began by speaking about the sins of the surrounding nations, which would have resonated with the northern kingdom’s people. Then, he shifted to discussing the sins of both the southern and northern kingdoms. Amos used a poetic style to emphasize the gravity of their sins, often explaining them in terms of escalating numbers. After addressing their sins, Amos began to share visions of destruction as a consequence of their actions. These visions were meant to illustrate the severity of God’s judgment.

Both Amos and Hosea are considered literary prophets who focused on the northern kingdom, delivering powerful messages about the people’s sin and impending judgment.

Jonah and Nahum both prophesied about Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, but they did so about 100 years apart. Jonah came from the northern kingdom, while Nahum was from the southern kingdom. Jonah prophesied first, followed by Nahum a century later.

Jonah, whose name means “dove,” was sent by God to Nineveh. Initially, Jonah tried to avoid his mission by fleeing, but a great storm arose, and he was swallowed by a large fish. Inside the fish, Jonah repented, which is poetically described as the “dove inside the fish.” After three days, the fish spat Jonah out near his home, a little distance from Nineveh. God then sent Jonah a second time to Nineveh. He delivered a message that the city would be destroyed in 40 days unless the people repented. The people of Nineveh heeded Jonah’s warning and repented, leading God to change His decision and spare the city. Jonah was displeased with God’s mercy, but God used this situation to teach Jonah a lesson about compassion and forgiveness.

Nahum prophesied about Nineveh approximately 100 years after Jonah. By this time, the people of Nineveh had fallen back into their wicked ways, with a completely new generation having risen since Jonah’s time. Despite their ancestors’ repentance after Jonah’s warning, the new generation had become corrupt once again.

God decided to destroy Nineveh and the Assyrian Empire, using Babylon as the instrument of their downfall. Before this destruction, God sent a prophecy through Nahum. Unlike Jonah, Nahum did not travel to Nineveh but instead delivered his message from Judea, which was then sent to Nineveh. Nahum’s prophecy foretold the imminent judgment and destruction of Nineveh, marking the end of its dominance and the Assyrian Empire’s reign.

Obadiah’s story is connected to the time of King Ahab. He is known for having saved a hundred prophets by hiding them in caves to protect them from persecution. Obadiah’s transformation into a strong prophet is highlighted in Chapter 25. The Edomites, descendants of Esau—Jacob’s twin brother—are the focus of Obadiah’s prophecy. The name “Edom” means “red,” and the Edomites lived in Petra, a mountainous region in modern-day Jordan. Obadiah prophesied that despite the Edomites living in high places, God would bring them down because of their hostility towards Jacob’s descendants, the Israelites.

This prophecy was fulfilled when the Edomites were eventually destroyed by the Romans. The final destruction of the Edomites occurred under the Roman general Vespasian and his son Titus in AD 70, during the same period when Jerusalem was besieged and the Second Temple was destroyed.