Life in the Word - The Minor Prophets

Introduction 

We’ve already looked at some of the Minor Prophets in our reading. To recap some earlier points, these books aren’t called “Minor” because of their lesser importance; rather, it’s due to their much shorter length than the others such as Isaiah. It’s also noteworthy that the ancient Jewish scribes had these particular texts combined into one document called “The Book of the Twelve”. The Minor Prophets often go under-utilised in today’s church, except for a few proof text references or an inspiring line for a chorus. Perhaps one of the most well-known is Micah 6:8, the truth of which is timeless for the people of God. Even so, it should still be considered in its context, namely that Israel and Judah had widely missed the mark of what God required of them, believing that the Lord would be appeased by sacrifices while His people ignored what He really desired.

Historical Background 

These prophets ministered before and after the exile. Most of them prophesied from about the mid-8 th century (starting with Jonah) to the destruction of the Temple in 586; the rest appeared after the return from exile, finishing with Malachi (around mid-5th century BC).

Politically, the prophets were speaking to, or during the reigns of, various kings of Israel and Judah. Jonah was active while Jeroboam II was on Israel’s throne, as was Amos. Hoshea, the last king of Northern Israel, ruled during Hosea’s and Micah’s ministries. Nahum and Zephaniah were contemporaries, overlapping during Josiah’s reign in Judah in the middle years of the 7th century BC. Habakkuk oversaw the first exile to Babylon, and Obadiah was present around the time of the destruction of the Temple in 586 BC.

Haggai and Zechariah prophesied after the first return of exiles, and as the Temple rebuilding commenced, approximately 520 BC. Although not completely decided, Malachi appears to have been present just prior to Nehemiah’s governorship from 444-432 BC. Joel, on the other hand, could have been prophesying before Amos, as the latter seems to quote the former, so “Joel must have lived earlier, before the beginning of Uzziah’s reign, thus exercising his office previously to Hosea”. But other schools of thought believe that as parallel thoughts to his “also may be found with Ezekiel, then Joel would have to be dated in the post-exilic period”. Perhaps the location of Joel almost at the commencement of the Minor Prophets manuscript would indicate that the compilers of what we now call the Old Testament would belong early in the eighth century BC, prior to Hosea.

Authors and Audience 

The prophets were a mixed lot regarding their backgrounds, ranging from Hosea, who married an unfaithful prostitute, through to the shepherd Amos and the established Jonah (2 Kings 14:25), to many whose life details are unknown to us. However, many of them described the prevailing political or natural situation quite well, so we can get a glimpse of the overall national circumstances. As is seen above in their historical placing, the messages of the Minor Prophets can, except possibly for that of Joel, be related to the people of Israel and Judah and the prevailing cultures of their particular times. Some of the prophets spoke to their particular kingdom - Judah or Israel (Samaria/Ephraim), while some voiced God’s word to both. Those who ministered after the exile, of course, were speaking to Israel as a whole. The standout book is Jonah, whose message wasn’t to or about Israel or Judah concerning their judgment or restoration, but to them about God’s desire to preserve repentant people; that “the Lord’s compassion extended even beyond his people Israel”. Here's a table outlining the ministry careers of the prophets in the Old Testament. There is some conjecture around the timeline of some prophets, such as Joel or Obadiah, but this should hopefully give you a rough guide to where, when, and to whom they ministered to.