Well last week I said that Hosea was the 6th major prophetic book; let's set that straight. Hosea is actually the first of the twelve minor prophets. And we're going to go through several of those this week. In addition to finishing up Hosea, we will also read all the way through Joel, Amos, Obadiah, and Jonah!HOSEA - Hosea was a prophet to the northern kingdom of Israel before its fall. His ministry as a prophet is talked about in the context of his marriage to an unfaithful wife - a way of demonstrating the nation of Israel's unfaithfulness in their commitment to God.
JOEL - Joel was a prophet to the southern kingdom of Judah. This book deals with a lament over problems of plague and drought, the promise of future blessings and also a reminder of coming judgment. Part of the book of Joel is quoted by Peter in his sermon in Acts 2.
AMOS - This prophet was from the southern kingdom but his message was for the northern kingdom of Israel before their exile. The basic message of this book is that God puts his people on the same level as other nations - he expects purity of them all. Israel and Judah will not be exempt from judgment over their sins.
OBADIAH - Obadiah is said to have been a convert to Judaism, as originally he was from Edom (those descended from Esau). This makes him the perfect person to go back and prophesy against Edom for their arrogance and wickedness.
JONAH - Jonah and the whale right? But the best part of this story is that this prophet really understands the heart of God and wrestles with that. For he is reluctant to pronounce judgment because he knows God's heart of mercy and love and he doesn't want to see the Ninevites forgiven.
Here is the schedule:
Sunday, 9: Hosea 4-7
Monday, 10: Hosea 8-11
Tuesday, 11: Hosea 12 - Joel 1
Wednesday, 12: Joel 2 - Amos 2
Thursday, 13: Amos 3-6
Friday, 14: Amos 7 - Obadiah
Saturday, 15: Jonah
May God bless the reading, the hearing and most importantly the living out of His Holy Word.
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