Project 119: The Minor Prophets
| Project 119 | Amy Hirsch
Who are the minor prophets, and why are they called minor? Although the word “minor” might have a derogatory connotation to us, as if the title means to insinuate that they are insignificant, they are actually called the minor prophets simply because they aren’t quite as lengthy as some of the longer prophetic works like Isaiah and Jeremiah. So, the term “minor" speaks simply of their length; certainly we’ll see as we read through these prophets that they focus on major themes found throughout Scripture!
In the Hebrew Bible, these prophets all appear in one work (in the same order we have in our English Bibles) called “The Book of the Twelve” (because there are twelve minor prophets). Rather than reading each book on its own, there’s a lot of merit in reading them side by side with the other prophet works, because they tell the story of Israel. The minor prophets cover over three hundred years of Israelite history, beginning with Hosea (767-687 B.C.) and ending with Malachi (around 450 B.C.). During these three hundred years, we see both Israel (the northern tribes) and Judah (the southern tribes) defeated and exiled by foreign nations because of their unfaithfulness to the Lord. In the latter prophets, we read about God
intervening into history through the person of Cyrus, King of Persia, to bring His people home.
The prophets do sometimes foretell the future (and there are many beautiful eschatological visions in the minor prophets), but often, their primary calling is to remind the people of their covenant with God. They declare God’s word boldly, warning the people that, if they stray from Him, they will face consequences for their disobedience. Yet even in the depths of despair, the prophets also proclaim the faithful love of God; because of His steadfast kindness, He will not abandon His people. The minor prophets remind us of the
character of God, call us to repentance in our sin, and point us forward to a day of hope when God will dwell with His people again, when iniquity will be no more.