RETURN TO ME: INTRODUCTION TO THE MINOR PROPHETS
September 13, 2026 / DR. LARRY LAMBINTRODUCTION
- From Hosea to Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament, are the twelve minor prophets.
- They are not minor because they are unimportant, but because their books are shorter than those of the major prophets.
- Every book in the Bible is important and communicates God’s truth.
- The Bible is a Jewish book. The Jews are God’s chosen people, and as believers in Jesus, the Messiah, we are grafted into faith.
- Romans 11:17-18 But some of these branches from Abraham’s tree—some of the people of Israel—have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God’s special olive tree. 18 But you must not brag about being grafted in to replace the branches that were broken off. You are just a branch, not the root.
- Apriest represented the people before God through sacrifice, worship, and teaching.
- A prophet represented God before the people by proclaiming His revealed message. “This is what God says.”
ABSORBING GOD’S WORDS SO THAT, OVER TIME, THE MIND OF GOD SHAPES OUR MIND AND HEART, AND TRANSFORMS OUR LIFE.
- Romans 12:2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
- Hebrews 4.12 For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.
- To understand any book of the Bible, begin with this fact: God wrote it; it’s perfect, without error, and eternal.
- A strong concern runs through the Twelve Minor Prophets. It’s the importance of aligning inner reality with outward behavior.
- James 2:18 Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”
- Amos 5:21-24 “I hate all your show and pretense—the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and solemn assemblies. 22 I will not accept your burnt offerings and grain offerings. I won’t even notice all your choice peace offerings. 23 Away with your noisy hymns of praise! I will not listen to the music of your harps. 24 Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living.
- God says to stop the show, stop your attempted worship, and get your heart right.
- What is God looking for? Amos 5:24 Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living.
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