CONTENTS FEATURES Life By Design.................................................................. 2 Writers............................................................................ 4 From the General Editor.................................................... 5 Introduction to the Minor Prophets..................................... 6 6 Tips for Life-Changing Discussion.................................. 65 Coming Next Quarter...................................................... 66 Map: The Changing World of Israel s Later Prophets........... 67 SESSIONS SUGGESTED FOR Title Page THE WEEK OF Mar. 1 Session 1: God Is (Nah. 1:1-8)..................................................... 9 Mar. 8 Session 2: Everyone Accountable (Zeph. 1:1-11)........................ 13 Mar. 15 Session 3: Our Great Salvation (Zeph. 3:8-17)........................... 17 Mar. 22 Session 4: Compassion for the Lost (Obad. 1-4,10-17)............. 21 Mar. 29 Session 5: The Promised Messiah (Zech. 8:1-8; 9:9-12)............. 25 Apr. 5 Session 6: The Declaration (Luke 24:1-12)*............................... 29 Apr. 12 Session 7: The Promise Fulfilled (Luke 24:13-35)*.................... 33 Apr. 19 Session 8: A Refined People (Zech. 13:1-9)............................... 37 Apr. 26 Session 9: Hard Questions, Harder Answers (Hab. 1:1-6,12-13; 2:1-4)............................................... 41 May 3 Session 10: Awestruck (Hab. 3:1-6,11-13,16-19)............................ 45 May 10 Session 11: Seek Him First (Hag. 1:1-11; 2:5-9)............................ 49 May 17 Session 12: True Hope (Mal. 1:1-11)............................................ 53 May 24 Session 13: Faithful (Mal. 2:10-17).............................................. 57 May 31 Session 14: A Pure People (Mal. 3:1-7; 3:16 4:2).......................... 61 *Evangelistic Emphasis 3
INTRODUCTION TO MINOR PROPHETS Ever heard of the prophet Obadiah? What about Nahum or Habakkuk? Unless you memorized the names of all 66 Bible books as a child or have completed a read-the-bible-through campaign, these and other names of minor prophets might be unfamiliar to you. Their messages could be even less familiar. The phrase Minor Prophets is a designation that some English Bibles give to 12 Old Testament books of prophecy. These books are relatively short in length especially in comparison to the Books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel (called Major Prophets ). However, the inspired messages of the minor prophets are as important for our instruction as any part of God s Word. They are packed with solid biblical insights. They give us glimpses into historical events that impacted God s people in Old Testament times. Most importantly, as books of prophecy they point forward in remarkable ways to the life and saving work of Jesus Christ. BACKGROUND Our studies focus on 7 of the 12 minor prophets. They are Obadiah [oh buh DIGH uh], Nahum [NAY huhm], Habakkuk [huh BAK kuk], Zephaniah [zef uh NIGH uh], Haggai [HAG igh (eye)], Zechariah [zek uh RIGH uh], and Malachi [MAL uh kigh]. (The other five minor prophets are Hosea, Joel, Amos, Jonah, and Micah.) Prophets in Old Testament times usually proclaimed their messages as sermons, or speeches. They often introduced their messages by declaring, Thus says the Lord! That s because the prophets weren t giving their opinions or citing conventional wisdom; they were delivering words the Lord God expressly gave them to speak. Later, the Lord moved on the hearts of these men to preserve in writing the messages He had given them. They didn t compose their books to become rich or famous. Rather, they did so in obedience to the Holy Spirit (see 2 Pet. 1:20-21). They were interested in proclaiming the Lord s name and fame, not their own. As a result, many of these prophets provided only scarce information about themselves. They like the prophet John the Baptist who came on the scene centuries after them believed that they must decrease so that He (the Lord) might increase (see John 3:30). 6 EXPLORE THE BIBLE QUICKSOURCE
NAMES, TIMES, AND KEY THEMES The following chart briefly describes the minor prophets we will study and the messages they proclaimed. PROPHET NAME MEANING TIME FRAME MAIN FOCUS Joel The Lord is God Uncertain; two possible times: between 836 and 796 B.C., or as late as 400 B.C. God s judgment on the Day of the Lord ; an invading army would come like a severe locust plague Obadiah The Lord s servant Around the time of the fall of Jerusalem, 587-586 B.C. God s judgment on Edom for the Edomites violence against God s people Nahum Comfort, consolation, or encouragement Some time between 663 and 612 B.C. God s judgment on Nineveh for the Assyrians abuse of peoples they conquered Habakkuk To embrace or caress Some time between 609 and 605 B.C. God s sovereign rule over all nations, His hidden justice, and the need to live by faith Zephaniah The Lord hides Some time between 630 and 621 B.C. Warnings about the Day of the Lord and the need to live in righteousness Haggai Festival of the Lord Around 520 B.C. Glorifying God by rebuilding His temple Zechariah The Lord remembers 520 518 B.C. Rebuilding the temple and pointing to the Messiah s life and saving work Malachi My messenger Some time between 460 and 430 B.C. Faith, integrity, and obedience versus spiritual pretense INTRODUCTION TO 7
Timeline: Minor Prophets 850 B.C. 750 B.C. Joel s prophecy likely occurred between 836-796. 793-753 At a time the Assyrian Empire is in decline, God calls Jonah to go to Nineveh and preach repentance. 793-745 Jeroboam II, king of Northern Kingdom, enjoyed an era of peace, expansion, increased trade, and increased affluence. 763 Assyria experiences two severe plagues (765 and 759) and a total eclipse. 760-722 Hosea s prophetic ministry 735-700 Micah begins his prophetic ministry. 745-727 Assyria emerges from years of decline as Tiglath-Pileser III invades Israel. 740 Isaiah is called to be a prophet. Nineveh repents in response to Jonah s preaching and is spared God s judgment. 725-722 Assyria s Shalmaneser V besieges Samaria. 722 Samaria falls to Assyria s Sargon II; nearly 28,000 Israelites are sent into exile. 760-750 Amos is called to travel from Judah to Israel to prophecy in Samaria. 705-681 Sennacherib establishes Nineveh as the capital of the Assyrian Empire. 701 Sennacherib captures and devastates Judah, besieging but not capturing Jerusalem. 610 B.C. 600 B.C. 610 An Assyrian general claims the throne and rallies what is left of the Assyrian army in Haran. An alliance with Egypt brings a few troops to Assyria s aid, but as the Babylonians approach, Haran is abandoned. 609 Josiah killed by the Egyptians at Megiddo 609 Josiah s son, Jehoahaz II, succeeds him and is deposed, replaced by his brother, Jehoiakim. 605 Nebuchadnezzar leads the Babylonians to defeat Pharaoh Neco II at Carchemish. 605 Habakkuk prophecies what the growing Babylonian strength means for Judah. 605, 597, 586, 582 Nebuchadnezzar attacks Jerusalem and leads the citizens of Judah into exile. 598 A reinforced Babylonian army approaches Judah; Jehoiakim dies. 597 Nebuchadnezzar plunders the temple, takes Jehoiachin and the royal family into exile, and Zedekiah becomes king. 593 Ezekiel begins to prophesy. 593-571 Events in Ezekiel 587 Zedekiah rebels against Babylon. He apparently dies in captivity. 587-586 Events in Obadiah 586 Jerusalem and the temple of Solomon destroyed 605 Jeremiah prophesies that the Babylonian exile will last 70 years. 582 As punishment for the uprising against Gedaliah, Nebuchadnezzar deports more citizens. ITEM 4: Timeline: Minor Prophets Explore the Bible Adult Leader Pack, Spring 2015 Suggested Use: Sessions 1-13 Copyright 2014 LifeWay Christian Resources 581 Cyrus the Elder, founder of the Persian Empire, is born. ~ = Approx. Date 700 B.C. 650 B.C. 700 Greeks establish trading posts in Philistine territory along the Mediterranean coast. 700 Philistines and Phoenicians sell the people of Judah and Jerusalem as slaves to the Greeks. Years of prophetic silence (698-626) in Judah coincides with some of Judah s darkest years under the rule of Manasseh (697-642) and Amon (642-640). 689 When Babylon rebels against Sennacherib, he destroys the city. Sennacherib is murdered by his two sons, one of whom, Esar-haddon (681-669), succeeds him as king. 681 Nahum (663-612) prophesies that just as Assyria destroyed Thebes, Nineveh (Assyria s capital) will be destroyed. 671 Esar-haddon invades Egypt. 667 Egypt rebels (669) and Esar-haddon s son, Ashurbanipal (668-627), sets out to reconquer Egypt. 641-609 Ashurbanipal [668-636] rules over a declining Assyrian Empire that experiences revolts in 642, contributing to the assassination of Amon of Judah and the rise of his son Josiah. 640 Josiah is placed on Judah s throne at the age of eight when he father, Amon, is assassinated. Zephaniah s years of prophecy range between 630-621. 621 The book of the law is found and read publicly, spurring additional reform under Josiah. 612 Calah is destroyed and the combined armies of the Babylonians and the Medes lay siege to Nineveh. After two months, the city falls. 612 With the fall of Nineveh, the Babylonian Empire succeeds the Assyrian Empire as the dominant force in the ancient Near East. 665 Egypt rebels again, so Ashurbanipal destroys Thebes. 550 B.C. 500 B.C. 450 B.C. 538 Cyrus s decree allows return of Jews from exile; 42,360 returned initially. 536 Second temple construction begins under Zerubbabel s and Joshua s leadership. 526 Discouragement brought work on the temple to a halt. 520-518 Haggai and Zechariah encourage the people to resume construction of the temple. Haggai s first message August 29, 520 Temple building resumes September 21, 520 Haggai s second message October 17, 520 Zechariah s first prophetic message October/November 520 Haggai s third and fourth messages December 18, 520 Zechariah s night visions February 15, 519 Zechariah s message on fasting December 7, 518 490 Greeks defeat Persians in Battle of Marathon through superior military intelligence and strategy, forestalling Persian expansion into Europe. 486-465 Events in Esther Greek victory over Persians in Battle of Salamis, 480, and Plain of Plataea, 479, thwarted Persian expansion into Europe and were keys to Greek hegemony in the Mediterranean Basin and Europe. 460-430 Malachi s prophecy 458 Second group of exiles returns to Jerusalem under the leadership of Ezra. 445 Third group of exiles return under Nehemiah s leadership. 445 Jerusalem s walls rebuilt under Nehemiah s leadership 432 Nehemiah returns to Persia. 431-404 Peloponnesian Wars between Athens and other Greek city-states 425 Nehemiah returns to Jerusalem. 515 Second temple is completed and dedicated.
OUTLINES OF MINOR PROPHETS Joel (1:1 3:21) A. Judgment (1:1 2:17) B. Forgiveness (2:18 3:21) Obadiah (1-21) A. Destruction of Edom Promised (1-9) B. Description of Edom s Evil (10-14) C. Day of the Lord (15-21) Nahum (1:1 3:19) A. God s Character (1:1-15) B. God s Judgment on Nineveh (2:1-13) C. Nineveh s Downfall (3:1-19) Habakkuk (1:1 3:19) A. Questions of Habakkuk (1:1 2:5) B. Pronouncements of Woe (2:6-20) C. Prayer of Habakkuk (3:1-19) Zephaniah (1:1 3:20) A. Judgment on the Nations (1:1 2:15) B. Future of Jerusalem (3:1-20) Haggai (1:1 2:23) A. Call to Rebuild the Temple (1:1-15) B. Future Glory and Blessing (2:1-23) Zechariah (1:1 14:21) A. Visions (1:1 6:15) B. Fasting and Feasting (7:1 8:23) C. Oracles (9:1 14:21) Malachi (1:1 4:6) A. The People s Unfaithfulness (1:1 2:16) B. The Lord s Coming (2:17 4:6) 8 EXPLORE THE BIBLE QUICKSOURCE
The Changing World of Israel s Later Prophets The Changing World of Israel s Later Prophets is adapted from The Holman Bible Atlas 1998 B&H Publishing Group, page 152. Used by permission. THE RISE OF THE NEO-BABYLONIAN EMPIRE Modern city City Mountain peak Battle of Carchemish Siege Medes forces Chaldean forces Assyrian forces Egyptian forces Neo-Babylonian influence