Jonah (a dove)
Jonah was the first Hebrew prophet sent to deliver God’s message to a Gentile land. He was from Gath Hepher, a city of Zebulun, and ministered in Israel during the reign of Jeroboam II.
According to the word of the Lord through Jonah, Jeroboam II restored the land Israel had lost to foreign invaders. No doubt, Jonah was thus considered favorably by the royal house. The prophet himself was evidently caught up in the enthusiastic nationalism of the time, for he did not want to deliver God’s message to Nineveh.
While it makes a very exciting Bible story, Jonah in the whale’s belly and his trip to Assyria should be more than just a Sunday school lesson. His experiences were a sign of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus (Matt. 12:39-41).
Assyria posed a potential threat to the new-found prosperity of Israel. If God chose to destroy them, that was clearly in Israel’s favor. When Jonah was told to help them escape this wrath, he was compromised not only by his own interest in Israel’s future but also by the possibility he could be charged with treason against Israel’s royal house.
But Jonah learned that God is not willing that any should perish, even the Gentile lands that might threaten Israel. If Israel would only be faithful, no country would be a problem for them –even the most powerful of neighbors — for Israel’s God ruled the kingdoms of men.
Jonah’s connection with Joppa is significant, as it was in Joppa that Peter opened the gospel to the Gentiles in his visit to Cornelius.
Upon the preaching of Jonah, Nineveh humbled itself and was spared. The repentance was short-lived, however, as Tiglathpileser began to reign after these days and invaded and conquered Israel. The doom of Nineveh for this action is prophesied in Nahum.
Micah (who is like Yah?)
Micah was a contemporary of Hosea and Amos. Like Amos, he emphasizes the oppression of the poor and the dissipation of the rich.
His message is to both kingdoms which he refers to by the names of their capital cities.
Three main themes dominate his message: the iniquity of Jerusalem and Samaria; the coming judgment; and the day of restoration.
Chapter 1 foretells the destruction of both Israel and Judah. Over 200 years of pleading by the prophets Elijah, Elisha and others had not stemmed idolatry in the north. Judah experienced periods of revival but it, too, had sunk into pagan wickedness. The areas mentioned in 1:10-15 are close to Micah’s hometown of Moresheth. He uses local names to dramatize the inevitable impact of coming judgment.
Chapters 2 and 3 graphically outline the brutality of the wealthy, who completely disregarded the just and merciful provisions of the law in their pursuit of personal gain. To reinforce their position, they even hired false prophets who publicly condoned their actions.
Chapter 4 looks forward to the ultimate blessing which God shall provide in the kingdom. Verses one through three are identical to Isa. 2:2-4, indicating Micah was a contemporary of Isaiah.
Chapter 5 is Messianic and was used by the priests in Herod’s day to locate Christ’s birthplace.
Chapter 6 is God’s tribunal to try to convict a thankless nation.
Chapter 7 starts with a lamentation on Micah’s time and closes with a revelation of the days of restoration and glory to come.
Nahum (comforter)
Nahum prophesied about 150 years after Jonah and his entire prophecy concerns the overthrow of Nineveh. Since Nineveh fell in 607 BC and was standing at the time of the prophecy (3:8), the book of Nahum is usually assigned a date around 630 BC.
Nineveh was a fortress about 30 miles long and 10 miles wide. It was protected by five walls and was watered by three river canals. At the time of Nahum, Nineveh dominated the Mid-east, exacting tribute of the nations in the area.
The Ninevites were known for the brutality with which they treated captive peoples. Deported captives were stripped of all nationalistic pride by terror. Some were skinned alive, others had ears and noses cut off, while others had their eyes plucked out.
Babylonian forces besieged Nineveh in about 609 BC. For nearly two years, the city felt no shortage from the siege. Then, as indicated in Nahum 2:6, a sudden surge in the river canals washed away part of the fortress walls, giving entrance to the Babylonians. As foretold in 3:7, Nineveh was laid waste. When Alexander the Great fought the battle of Arbela in 331 BC near the site of Nineveh, he remarked that he did not even know there had ever been a city there. Ruins of Nineveh were not found until 1845.
Habakkuk (love’s embrace)
This prophecy concerns the invasion of Judah by Babylon and contains the poetic complaint of Habakkuk.
Habakkuk’s first complaint is to question how Judah can rightly be destroyed by a nation more wicked than itself. How was this just? God responds that His purpose is known to Himself.
The prophet’s second complaint acknowledges that while Judah deserves punishment, will she be cast off forever? God responds that the ruthless Babylonians will be destroyed and God’s people shall yet fill the earth.
Finally, Habakkuk prays that God might save His people with His wonders of old. Then, with gentle resignation, the prophet offers his hope in the eternal purpose of God. No matter how bleak the present may seem, he will have faith in God’s redemptive power.
Zephaniah (Yah is darkness)
Zephaniah was a cousin to king Josiah (see 1:1 RSV; he was a descendant of Hezekiah) and would have been an influential member of Josiah’s reformation movement. While Josiah’s reforms postponed the destruction of Jerusalem, they did not convert the hearts of the people. The day of terror was soon to break upon Judah for her wickedness. But Judah was not to be alone in suffering judgment. Within 20 years, the Babylonians would be God’s weapon, executing His wrath on the entire area.
The sins of Judah are referred to in a symbolic manner “Chemarims” alludes to idolatrous priests while the “host of heaven” refers to the worship of the sun and stars.
Finally, Zephaniah speaks of a remnant that would return from captivity with a pure language. This pure language was the gospel which is a pure expression of godly thought and worship.
Haggai (festive)
This is the first of three books that come after the return from exile to Babylon. Along with Zechariah, Haggai went to the returned captives to exhort them to renew work on the temple. The work had been forsaken for 15 years. Their excuse given was that the time was not right, but Haggai exposes their real reason. They were more concerned for their own houses than for the house of God.
Within 24 days, the people responded to his message and resumed work on the temple. Their efforts were such that after 27 days of labor, the outline of the building was evident.
While older people were disappointed at this new structure compared with the glory of Solomon’s temple, Haggai reassured them that faithful obedience now will mean inclusion in the coming house of worship which will be built upon the foundation of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Zechariah (Yah is renowned)
The prophecy is dominated by apocalyptic-type visions and by many references to the coming Messiah. Some of the visions are expanded in the book of Revelation.
Zechariah records the visions of the horses, the horns and the smith, the measuring line, the candlestick and olive tree, the flying roll and ephah and the four war chariots.
The messianic theme is found in references to the atonement (3:8-9; 13:1), the builder of the temple (6:12), the king-priest (6:13; 9:10), the triumphal entry into Jerusalem (9:9), the betrayal (11:12), the pierced hands (12:10; 13:6), the smitten shepherd (13:7) and the triumphant savior and king (12:10; 14:5,9).
Chapter 12:1-6 depicts the current alignment of Mid-east politics and chapter 14 reveals the coming desolation and deliverance of Israel.
Malachi (messenger of Yah)
He prophesied about 100 years after Haggai and Zechariah. While the nation was cured of idolatry, their worship lacked intensity and meaning. They offered inferior animals as sacrifices, neglected paying tithes and married people of foreign nations.
Their attitude reflected a skepticism that correct worship did not make any difference, because they claimed pagan nations fared as well as the people of God.
Through Malachi, God warned them of impending judgment which would be centered around the coming of Messiah. In the end, only the faithful remnant would be saved.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One