Some Minor Prophets
Having looked at Zechariah, I thought I would look at some other minor prophets. This is a brief overview of ten of the last twelve books of the Old Testament, known as the Minor Prophets (Hosea and Zechariah being the other two). Just 39 chapters between the ten of them.
All these books except Jonah have the same general theme of anger at the sinful nature of the people, the threat of God visiting terrible calamities if it goes on, but the promise of greatness for Israel if they live according to God's laws.
We can see the beginning of the Pharisaic position here; they believed that following God's laws were vital too, but the greatness for Israel had evolved into the messianic age, the coming of the kingdom of God including the resurrection of the dead. There is, however, very little to suggest The Messiah, as opposed to a messiah, a new king.
Today, Christianity gives us the carrot and stick, where the carrot is the promise of heaven, and the stick is the threat of hell. In the less sophisticated era of these books, the carrot was dominance for the kingdom of the Hebrews and the stick was its destruction.
It starts with a promise of woes for Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Ammon and Moab, but then goes on to Judah and Israel in the same manner. It continues about Israel for some time. By chapter 5, we get the dire warning of the Day of the Lord coming. I think this is the earliest use of that phrase.
In chapter 7, Amos gets sent away:
As usual the hope for Israel for the near future:
Probably written sometime around 500 BCE.
This is explained in chapter one as God's punishment for the sinful lives the Hebrews lead. But the righteous, of course, will be saved. Chapter three is a rebuke directed at leaders and prophets, who are leading the people astray.
The second half of Micah is dated much later by some (Micah 4:7 notes that they have no king), to some time after 515 BCE. However, it is presented as a prophecy of the Babylonian Captivity:
It goes on to tell all the terrible stuff the Hebrews do, and promises ruin to them:
Note that Micah 5:2 itself indicates Bethlehem Ephrathah is a clan, not a place. This is indicating someone will be born of the tribe, not in a certain place (note also that the Gospel of Matthew omits the word "Ephrathah" to make it fit better).
I would guess Micah - or the later redactor - was referring to a real person alive at that time, who was of the clan of Bethlehem Ephrathah, and who had eight commanders, and this is expressing the hope that this man would be successful against the enemies of Israel.
Given Assyria fell to the Babylonians, at first glance this dates it to before that exile. However, the bit about Israel being abandoned suggests after the exile, and "Assyrians" could be a code word for Persians.
It does, however, include the hope for Israel to become great again:
The first chapter talks of the rise of the Babylonians:
Chapter three is a prayer about how great God is.
It is very much about the wished-for vengeance on all the surrounding nations, with Philistia, Moab, Ammon, Cush and Assyria getting special mention in chapter two.
It uses the idea of the "Day of the Lord", and claims that that day is near:
While there is no suggestion of a messiah, this definitely feeds into the later concept of a messianic age.
Chapter 1 describes how God is annoyed that work on the temple has stopped, while the Hebrews continue to live in their own fine homes, and so has sent a drought. At the urging of Haggai the prophet, Joshua the High Priest and Zerubbabel the governor (and potential king) get the work going again.
The most noteworthy thing is how the last sentence is split across two chapters!
Chapter two begins and ends with promises of greatness to coming, noting that Zerubbabel is God's chosen. The phraseology here harkens to David as "my servant".
However, the middle of the chapter is God saying that if others are involved in constructing the temple, it will be defiled.
Chapter one and half of chapter two is God complaining about not getting enough respect from his own priests, who sacrifice lame or blemished beasts to him. It goes on to complain about Hebrews marrying pagan women.
Chapter three warns that God is coming to sort it all out, then more complaining that the tithes due to God are not what they should be. They are robbing God of his due!
But obviously the faithful remnant will be saved when God appears, so you better do as you are told!
Again, there is no suggestion of a messiah, but the idea of the messianic age is there, though it is a long way from Daniel's position.
In fact, this is serving the same purpose as hell will do later. Presumably the threat of God coming to burn the unrighteous started to get stale when, five centuries later, it still had not happened. The unrighteous had got away with it if they had lived to a ripe old age and died of natural causes. Thus, the burning of the unrighteous got pushed to the afterlife by the time of Jesus.
All these books except Jonah have the same general theme of anger at the sinful nature of the people, the threat of God visiting terrible calamities if it goes on, but the promise of greatness for Israel if they live according to God's laws.
We can see the beginning of the Pharisaic position here; they believed that following God's laws were vital too, but the greatness for Israel had evolved into the messianic age, the coming of the kingdom of God including the resurrection of the dead. There is, however, very little to suggest The Messiah, as opposed to a messiah, a new king.
Today, Christianity gives us the carrot and stick, where the carrot is the promise of heaven, and the stick is the threat of hell. In the less sophisticated era of these books, the carrot was dominance for the kingdom of the Hebrews and the stick was its destruction.
The Book of Joel
The usual theme of doom for Israel, but with the hope of greatness to come. It has been dated variously to around 800 BCE to around 400 BCE.Joel 1:3 [a]“In those days and at that time,There really is not much to this at all.
when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,
2 I will gather all nations
and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.[b]
There I will put them on trial
for what they did to my inheritance, my people Israel,
because they scattered my people among the nations
and divided up my land.
The Book of Amos
Written around 750 BCE, this is the oldest of the minor prophets (assuming an later date for Joel). Though from Judah, he preached in Israel, including the capital Samaria.It starts with a promise of woes for Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Ammon and Moab, but then goes on to Judah and Israel in the same manner. It continues about Israel for some time. By chapter 5, we get the dire warning of the Day of the Lord coming. I think this is the earliest use of that phrase.
In chapter 7, Amos gets sent away:
Amos 7:10 Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent a message to Jeroboam king of Israel: “Amos is raising a conspiracy against you in the very heart of Israel. The land cannot bear all his words. 11 For this is what Amos is saying:This causes Amos to curse Amaziah. The book continues with more destruction prophesised for Israel, but the second half of last chapter is about God promising to restore Israel. The book ends:
“‘Jeroboam will die by the sword,
and Israel will surely go into exile,
away from their native land.’”
12 Then Amaziah said to Amos, “Get out, you seer! Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there. 13 Don’t prophesy anymore at Bethel, because this is the king’s sanctuary and the temple of the kingdom.”
Amos 9:15 I will plant Israel in their own land,The kingdom of Israel was invaded by Assyria in 738 BCE and Samaria was destroyed in 722 BCE after a three year siege. Israel had been paying tribute to the Assyrians a century earlier, so it was perhaps not that difficult for Amos to guess that the destruction was on its way.
never again to be uprooted
from the land I have given them,”
says the Lord your God.
The Book of Obadiah
Just one chapter. The usual theme of destruction, but in this case directed specifically at Edom. Possibly written in 590 BCE, after the Edomites had helped the Babylonians destroy Jerusalem.As usual the hope for Israel for the near future:
Obadiah 1:17 But on Mount Zion will be deliverance;
it will be holy,
and Jacob will possess his inheritance.
18 Jacob will be a fire
and Joseph a flame;
Esau will be stubble,
and they will set him on fire and destroy him.
There will be no survivors
from Esau.”
The Lord has spoken.
The Book of Jonah
This is unlike the other minor prophets, because it is not written by Jonah, but about him. The story is well known, but I have to be honest, I do not get it. What is the point of the story?Probably written sometime around 500 BCE.
The Book of Micah
Micah is dated to some time before 700 BCE. This was before the Babylonian Captivity, but still a time of turmoil for the Hebrews.This is explained in chapter one as God's punishment for the sinful lives the Hebrews lead. But the righteous, of course, will be saved. Chapter three is a rebuke directed at leaders and prophets, who are leading the people astray.
The second half of Micah is dated much later by some (Micah 4:7 notes that they have no king), to some time after 515 BCE. However, it is presented as a prophecy of the Babylonian Captivity:
Micah 4:10 Writhe in agony, Daughter Zion,It is quite possibly this was originally by Micah, but has been redacted subsequent to 515 BCE to reflect the situation then.
like a woman in labor,
for now you must leave the city
to camp in the open field.
You will go to Babylon;
there you will be rescued.
There the Lord will redeem you
out of the hand of your enemies.
It goes on to tell all the terrible stuff the Hebrews do, and promises ruin to them:
Micah 6:16 You have observed the statutes of OmriBut good times are ahead, and as usual, this means Israel will be great again. This is the embryonic messianic age. This bit perhaps suggests a messiah, a descendant of David:
and all the practices of Ahab’s house;
you have followed their traditions.
Therefore I will give you over to ruin
and your people to derision;
you will bear the scorn of the nations.[g]”
Micah 7:14 Shepherd your people with your staff,Perhaps the most important verse is this supposed prophecy of Jesus:
the flock of your inheritance,
which lives by itself in a forest,
in fertile pasturelands.[a]
Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead
as in days long ago.
Micah 5:2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,However, the next few verses sound less like Jesus:
though you are small among the clans[b] of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
from ancient times.”
3 Therefore Israel will be abandonedJesus did not ensure peace when Assyria invaded. He did not raise eight commanders.
until the time when she who is in labor bears a son,
and the rest of his brothers return
to join the Israelites.
4 He will stand and shepherd his flock
in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they will live securely, for then his greatness
will reach to the ends of the earth.
5 And he will be our peace
when the Assyrians invade our land
and march through our fortresses.
We will raise against them seven shepherds,
even eight commanders,
Note that Micah 5:2 itself indicates Bethlehem Ephrathah is a clan, not a place. This is indicating someone will be born of the tribe, not in a certain place (note also that the Gospel of Matthew omits the word "Ephrathah" to make it fit better).
I would guess Micah - or the later redactor - was referring to a real person alive at that time, who was of the clan of Bethlehem Ephrathah, and who had eight commanders, and this is expressing the hope that this man would be successful against the enemies of Israel.
Given Assyria fell to the Babylonians, at first glance this dates it to before that exile. However, the bit about Israel being abandoned suggests after the exile, and "Assyrians" could be a code word for Persians.
The Book of Nahum
The Book of Nahum is dated to about 612 BCE, at the time of the fall of Nineveh, and all three chapters discuss just that. It is written from a point in time when the attackers were approaching Nineveh, but the fall had yet to occur.It does, however, include the hope for Israel to become great again:
Nahum 2:2 The Lord will restore the splendor of Jacob
like the splendor of Israel,
though destroyers have laid them waste
and have ruined their vines.
The Book of Habakkuk
The Book of Zephaniah is dated to around 600 BCE or a little earlier. It takes the form of an FAQ, with Habakkuk asking questions and God replying.The first chapter talks of the rise of the Babylonians:
Habakkuk 1:6 I am raising up the Babylonians,[a]It is apparent the God intends to use the Babylonians is deal with injustice and corruption in the land. This is questioned by Habakkuk, but chapter two goes into how the Babylonians will be even more harshly dealt with.
that ruthless and impetuous people,
who sweep across the whole earth
to seize dwellings not their own.
7 They are a feared and dreaded people;
they are a law to themselves
and promote their own honor.
Chapter three is a prayer about how great God is.
The Book of Zephaniah
The Book of Zephaniah is three chapters of hate and anger, describing how God will destroy the entire world, all the people, beast, fishes and birds. Despite that, the second half of the last chapter does indicate the righteous Hebrews will survive.It is very much about the wished-for vengeance on all the surrounding nations, with Philistia, Moab, Ammon, Cush and Assyria getting special mention in chapter two.
It uses the idea of the "Day of the Lord", and claims that that day is near:
Zephaniah 1:14 The great day of the Lord is near—According to the first verse, it was written during the reign of Josiah, between 640 to 609 BCE (and with Babylon not in the list of targeted nations, that seems reasonable). History indicates that rather than a Day of the Lord when all the other nations would be destroyed, the Hebrews were conquered by the Babylonians, and the priests and elite sent into exile.
near and coming quickly.
The cry on the day of the Lord is bitter;
the Mighty Warrior shouts his battle cry.
While there is no suggestion of a messiah, this definitely feeds into the later concept of a messianic age.
The Book of Haggai
A mere two chapters, Haggai was written around the same time as Zechariah, i.e., during the rebuilding of the Second Temple, shortly after the end of the Babylonian Captivity.Chapter 1 describes how God is annoyed that work on the temple has stopped, while the Hebrews continue to live in their own fine homes, and so has sent a drought. At the urging of Haggai the prophet, Joshua the High Priest and Zerubbabel the governor (and potential king) get the work going again.
The most noteworthy thing is how the last sentence is split across two chapters!
Chapter two begins and ends with promises of greatness to coming, noting that Zerubbabel is God's chosen. The phraseology here harkens to David as "my servant".
However, the middle of the chapter is God saying that if others are involved in constructing the temple, it will be defiled.
The Book of Malachi
Malachi means messenger, so it is unlikely this was the name of the author. It mentions the temple has been rebuilt, making it later than 515 BC. It is four chapters long.Chapter one and half of chapter two is God complaining about not getting enough respect from his own priests, who sacrifice lame or blemished beasts to him. It goes on to complain about Hebrews marrying pagan women.
Chapter three warns that God is coming to sort it all out, then more complaining that the tithes due to God are not what they should be. They are robbing God of his due!
But obviously the faithful remnant will be saved when God appears, so you better do as you are told!
Again, there is no suggestion of a messiah, but the idea of the messianic age is there, though it is a long way from Daniel's position.
In fact, this is serving the same purpose as hell will do later. Presumably the threat of God coming to burn the unrighteous started to get stale when, five centuries later, it still had not happened. The unrighteous had got away with it if they had lived to a ripe old age and died of natural causes. Thus, the burning of the unrighteous got pushed to the afterlife by the time of Jesus.
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