Every portion of the Scripture is vital to understanding the whole of it. The minor prophets of the Old Testament are no exception. They can also be referred to as “judgement prophets” since their message was often associated with the heinous sins of God’s people followed by a warning of the divine wrath to be incurred as a result. They can, however, be referred to as “good news” prophets as well, since the message oftentimes concluded with promised restoration for the repentant remnant.
The prophets are easy to avoid since many Christians, vocational ministers sadly included, are not willing to do the work necessary to study out the precious gold that exists in the prophetic pages. Whether we are referring to Amos, Obadiah, Joel, Micah, Hosea, or any other, the truth is clearly embedded in ways that are accessible to the student of the Holy Word. This goodness must be mined for, it must be sought after and dugout strategically to fully appreciate the glorious truth that’s presented. There is no other language like that of the prophet. These were called men of God that were emboldened and divinely equipped to express a message that the masses did not want to hear. The prophet stayed true to their calling and risked great dangers in going long hard-fought distances to minister to an ugly audience who God had a serious problem with. I imagine the one faint little comfort was knowing that amongst those masses was a remnant, a small minority that God deeply loved and was willing to restore in light of His justice and well-deserved wrath.
The prophets used profound illustrations to communicate meaningful judgements that were terrifying to the hearer. In Amos’ case, he was instructed to leave as stated by Amaziah in Amos 7:12-13, “Get out, you seer! Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there. Don’t prophesy any more at Bethel, because this is the king’s sanctuary and the temple of the kingdom.” The answer Amos provided in this battle for Truth should light up anyone who desires to minister for the Lord and set them on fire to deliver the true message God has planted in them. Amos answered Amaziah, “I was neither a prophet nor a prophet’s son, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees. But the Lord took me from tending the flock and said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’ Now then, hear the word of the Lord.”
Yes! Yes! Yes! These should be the words that spout forth from the mouth of the called man of God; the preacher who is under the power of the Word! Even in the silence of his own study should the man feel the strong and uncontrollable urge to shout a hearty “hallelujah,” and if the neighbor hears, they too can consider themselves blessed to live within the earshot of a man that loves the Lord that much and desires to obey His Word and deliver the message of judgement at all costs with no regard for the perils that lay in store! After all, “What can man do to me?” The minor prophets together establish a historical pattern that we should be willing to adhere to today. How easy it is to look at the current condition of western society and see the parallel issues of idolatry that continues to run rampant at an ever-increasing rate with no end in sight.
Today is the best time to dig into the minor prophets and glean from the goodness that’s found by the one who craves it, as the Lord develops within us a message similar to the ones that were delivered then. The notion that Christ somehow diminished the prophet to a place of irrelevance is ludicrous. We should learn from these patterns and investigate the historical data as we strive to get better in the ministry God has called us to. Over the course of ministry, I have learned the value of these men resulting in a repeated growth spurt for this preacher.
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