H
The Minor
Prophets
H
Introduction
• Probably the least studied section of the Bible.
• “Minor” designation is not given based on the importance of the
material contained, but rather the shortness of each respective
writing.
• This study will basically be an “overview” of each of the 12 books.
• The need to study such material is evident in fact that many have
misapplied the prophecies and warnings found therein and our
lack of study has not given us the ability to “give an answer” to the
challenges that we face.
• We can argue against misapplication, but we need to know what
lessons these passages were meant to convey.
• Our goal in this study: To equip the student with the proper
understanding of the messages of the Minor Prophets, thereby
enabling him/her to “give a defense to everyone who asks you a
reason for the hope that is in you…” (1 Peter 3:9).
H
Historical Background
• These prophecies will only make sense when we place
them in their proper place in history. Let us trace the
geographic and historic settings of the Old Testament:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Ante-diluvian world (time before the Flood) – Genesis 1-6
Post-diluvian world (time after the Flood) – Genesis 7-11:26
Abraham in Ur/Moves to Haran – Genesis 11:27-30, 31-32
Abraham is called to Canaan – Genesis 12:1-9
Famine forces Abraham to Egypt – Genesis 12:10-20
Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob dwell in Canaan – Genesis 13-45:28
A. Lot
begat Moab (Genesis 19:37) = Moabites
begat Benammi (Genesis 19:38) = Ammonites
B. Abraham/Hagar begat Ishmael (Genesis 21:12-14) = Ishmaelites
C. Ishmael
begat Twelve Princes (Genesis 25:12-18) = ???
D. Abraham/Keturah begat Midian (Genesis 25:1-4) = Midianites
E. Isaac
begat Esau (Genesis 36:6-9) = Edomites
begat Jacob (Genesis 35:22-26) = Israel
H
Historical Background
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
Egyptian Bondage (400 years) – Exodus 1-12
The Wilderness Wanderings (40 years)
The Conquest (26 years)
The Judges (300 years)
The United Kingdom (120 years)
The Divided Kingdom (Fall of Northern Israel/Samaria)
Southern Kingdom of Judah (Fall of Jerusalem)
The Captivity (Fall of Babylon)
The Restoration

Three major movements when the Jews returned to Jerusalem:
 536 BC – Zerubbabel returned with 42,360 Jews
 457 BC – Ezra returned with 1754 Jewish men
 444 BC – Jeremiah returned and worked at government expense
Two distinct periods of restoration:
 536 - 516 BC – Zerubbabel rebuilds temple (Ezra 3-6)
 457 - 432 BC – Nehemiah & Ezra rebuilt walls of Jerusalem

1890-1490 BC
1490-1451 BC
1451-1425 BC
1406-1095 BC
1095-975 BC
975-722 BC
722-586 BC
586-538 BC
538-432 BC
H
The Minor Prophets
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Obadiah – “Servant of Jehovah” (845 BC)
Joel – “Jehovah is God” (830 BC)
Jonah – “Dove” (780 BC)
Amos – “Burden-bearer” (755 BC)
Hosea – “Salvation” (750-725 BC)
Micah – “Who is like the Lord?” (740-700 BC)
Zephaniah – “Jehovah Hides” (625 BC)
Nahum – “Consolation” (630-612 BC)
Habakkuk – “Embrace” (612-606 BC)
Haggai – “Festive or Festival” (520 BC)
Zachariah – “Whom Jehovah Remembers” (520-518 BC)
Malachi – “My Messenger” (445-432 BC)
H
Important Dates to Remember
 975 BC – The Kingdom of Israel was divided into two
parts:
 The Northern Kingdom of Israel with Samaria as its capital.
 The Southern Kingdom of Judah with Jerusalem as its
capital.
 722 BC – The Northern Kingdom of Israel (Samaria)
was destroyed by the Assyrians under King
Tiglathpileser III (2 Kings 15:29). As was the Assyrian
custom, the Israelites were deported to Assyria.
 586 BC – The Southern Kingdom of Judah is taken
captive and Jerusalem is destroyed by the Babylonians
under the rule of King Nebuchadnezzar.
H
Obadiah
• Obadiah means “servant of Jehovah”
• Date: Most likely 845 BC (2 Chronicles 21:8-10,16-17)
• Message: Edom was to be destroyed for its cruelty and
pride (vs. 3-4)
• History: Edomites were descendants of Esau (Genesis
36:6-9). Struggle began in the womb (Genesis 25:2128). Always had a “rocky” relationship with Israel.
Ph
ili
sti
a
Jerusalem
Judah
Ammon
a
Israel
Jordan
Samaria
Divided
Kingdom
River
Galilee
Syria
Dead Se
Pho
e ni
cia
Med
iterr a
nean
H
Moab
Edom
© EBibleTeacher.com
NASA PHOTO
INDEX
H
“The pride of your
heart has deceived
you, you who dwell in
the clefts of the rock,
whose habitation is
high; you who say in
your heart, ‘Who will
bring me down to the
ground?’ Though
you ascend as high as
the eagle, and though
you set your nest
among the stars, from
there I will bring you
down,” says the Lord.
– (Obadiah 3-4)
H
Entrance
to the
Valley
Of
Petra
H
Edom was located in the mountainous region of the
Dead Sea. Sela (now Petra) was it’s capital. From
mount strongholds like this the Edomites launched
their raids on Israel.
H
Obadiah
• Obadiah means “servant of Jehovah.”
• Date: Most likely 845 BC (2 Chronicles 21:8-10,1617).
• Message: Edom was to be destroyed for its cruelty and
pride (vs. 3-4).
• History: Edomites were descendants of Esau (Genesis
36:6-9). Struggle began in the womb (Genesis 25:2128). Always had a “rocky” relationship with Israel.
• Outline:
–
–
–
–
National Security will be taken away (vs. 1-9)
Watched and participated in Judah’s destruction (vs. 10-14)
Edom’s destruction foretold (vs. 15-16)
Israel would recover but Edom would never (vs. 17-21)
H
Joel
• Joel means “Jehovah is God.”
• Probably around 830 BC.
• Message: Warning to Judah that “the day of the
Lord is at hand, and as a destruction from the
Almighty shall it come” (1:15). A plague of locusts
covers the land and strips every living green thing
bare (vs 7). This message is brought during the
reign of Joash (835 – 796 BC).
H
A Swarm of Locusts
H
A
Cornfield
Destroyed
by
Locusts
H
Joel
• Joel means “Jehovah is God.”
• Probably around 830 BC.
• Message: Warning to Judah that “the day of the
Lord is at hand, and as a destruction from the
Almighty shall it come” (1:15). A plague of locusts
covers the land and strips every living green thing
bare (vs 7). This message is brought during the
reign of Joash (835 – 796 BC).
• The book is divided into two parts:
– The prophet’s call to repentance (1:1 – 2:17).
– God’s direct message (2:18 – 3:21).
H
Jonah
• Jonah means “Dove”.
• Probably around 780 BC.
• Message: God cared for all nations of the earth,
and He was willing to save even the heathen nation
of Assyria if they would repent. God wanted all
men to recognize Him as the One True God.
H
Dunkleosteus This skull was about three and a half feet tall.
Its body length would be incredible. This huge fish would be
a fright to anyone who saw it. It's mouth would have the
ability easily swallow an average size human being
H
H
Jonah
• Jonah means “Dove”.
• Probably around 780 BC.
• Message: God cared for all nations of the earth,
and He was willing to save even the heathen nation
of Assyria if they would repent. God wanted all
men to recognize Him as the One True God.
• Chapter 1 – God calls Jonah to go to Ninevah
• Chapter 2 – Jonah’s prayer and deliverance
• Chapter 3 – God repeats His call to Jonah
• Chapter 4 – Jonah reacts to Ninevah’s repentance
H
Amos
• Amos means “burden-bearer”.
• Probably around 755 BC.
• Messenger: Amos was a herdsman and a dresser of
sycamore trees, a strong rural character (7:14-15).
• Message: A message of doom for both Israel and
Judah. Each were given some rest from the threats
of Assyrian invasion. In this state of comfort, moral
and political corruption began to flourish. They
began to adopt the worship of the gods of the
Assyrians, and thus of apostasy from the One True
Jehovah. In short, luxury and wealth had bred
moral decay and spiritual disinterest.
H
Amos
• Outline:
– Introduction of the Prophet (1:1-2)
– Coming of divine judgment upon sinful nations
•Damascus – for cruelty in war and greed (1:3-5)
•Gaza (Philistia) – for their slave trade (1:6-8)
•Tyre (Phoenicia) – remembered not the covenant
(1:9-10)
•Edom – for their hatred and mistreatment of Israel
(1:11-12)
•Ammon – intense and uncalled-for cruelty (1:13-15)
•Moab – vengeance even on a king’s carcass (2:1-3)
•Judah – for her apostasy (2:4-5)
•Israel – for all their sins (2:6-16)
H
Amos
• Outline (continued)
– Israel’s crimes (3-4)
•Upon wealthy ruling classes for social sins and
injustices (3:1- 4:5)
•Chastisement upon the nation had gone unheeded
(4:4-13)
– Israel's inevitable condemnation (5-6)
– Five Visions explained (7:1–9:10)
•The vision of the locust (grasshoppers) in which the
mercy of God averts catastrophe (7:1-3)
•The vision of devouring fire – an even more severe
judgment again averted by God’s mercy (7:4-6)
H
Amos
• Outline (continued)
– Five Visions Explained (continued)
•The vision of the plumb-line – the destruction of the
nation of Israel for its idolatry (7:7-9)
– Interlude – Amaziah’s complaint against Amos
(7:10-17)
– Five Visions Explained (continued)
•The vision of the basket of summer fruit – the
ripeness of Israel for judgment (8)
•The vision of the smitten sanctuary – destruction for
the sinful kingdom (9:1-10)
– The promise of a bright future in the hope of the
Messiah (9:11-15) – Acts 15:14-18
H
Hosea
• Hosea means “salvation”.
• Probably around 730 BC.
• Messenger: Hosea was probably a citizen of the
northern kingdom of Israel. He appears to be a
sympathetic man who mourns the digression of
Israel and laments their pending fall. At the same
time he is filled with a righteous indignation over
their departure from the one true God. His work
reflects these moments of sympathy and
indignation.
H
H
Hosea
• Message: The excesses of Israel had now become
even more pronounced than in the time of Amos.
Hosea sums up his indictment against Israel by
emphasizing the theme of “whoredom”. A theme
that he would know first hand. Israel was
committing spiritual adultery. They had embarked
upon a path of idolatry, and they were giving praise
to these pagan gods for the prosperity they were
enjoying (Hosea 2:12-13). Hosea’s work
emphasizes the judgment of God against the wicked
while yet reminding his hearers of God’s love and
forgiveness.
H
Baal Worship
Baal is mentioned widely in the Old
Testament as the primary pagan idol of
the Phoenicians, often associated with
the heathen goddess Ashtaroth. This
photo shows Baal's fictitious image from
an ancient stone carving. He was the
supposed son of the non-existent god
Dagon. Unfortunately, to their eventual
bitter regret, the Israelites became deeply
involved in the cult of the Baals. The
evil "worship" included perverted sexual
behavior, and even sacrificing their
infants in fire.
H
Hosea
• Outline:
– Israel’s adultery against God (1-3)
•Hosea’s personal marriage to adulterous Gomer parallels
that of God’s relationship with Israel (1:2–2:1)
•Chastisement, repentance & final restoration of
idolatrous Israel (2:2-23)
– Jehovah’s controversy with Israel (4-6)
– Israel’s corrupt political situation (7-8)
– Israel’s religious & moral apostasy resulting in
punishment, exile & destruction (9-11)
– Israel’s apostasy versus God’s fidelity (12-13)
– Israel’s conversion and pardon (14)
H
Micah
• Micah means “Who is like the Lord?”.
• Dated from anywhere between 740 – 700 BC.
• Messenger: Micah was from a very rustic,
productive, fertile and agricultural area called
Moresheth-gath (1:1,14) which was a small village
on the border between Judah and Philistia. The
village was about 25 miles southwest of Jerusalem.
With the viewpoint of the humble peasant from an
obscure village he harshly condemns the idolatry,
the impiety, and the social corruption of both Judah
and Samaria. Using vivid terms, Micah serves as
the voice of God to all.
H
Micah
• Message: In common with all the eighth century
prophets, Micah preached the supreme
righteousness of God in contrast to the ungodly
character of the luxury-loving age in which they
lived. In contrast with the destruction which shall
be visited upon the wicked nations of that age, God
will bless and keep those who continue to be his
servants. Micah declares the nature of true service
which God has always sought (6:6-8). There is also
a considerable amount of Messianic prediction,
comparable to that of Isaiah.
H
Micah
• Outline:
– Authorship & time of the prophet’s work (1:1).
– Judgment upon Israel & Judah with a remnant to
be saved (1-3).
– Coming of Christ and His church (4-5).
– Condemnation for sins (6:1 – 7:6).
– Ultimate blessing (7:7-20).
• Messianic prophesy:
– Forecast of the establishment of the church (4).
– Birth of the Messiah in Bethlehem (5:2).
H
Present Day Bethlehem
H
Zephaniah
• Zephaniah means “Jehovah hides”.
• Probably around 625 BC .
• Messenger: Zephaniah wrote during the reign of
Josiah who was a young king trying to reform the
sinful nation after his father, Amon, and his
grandfather, Manasseh, brought the religion and
morality of Judah to an all-time low. Zephaniah was
the great-grandson of Hezekiah, the last good king
prior to Josiah. This indicates that he was a
descendant of royal blood.
H
Zephaniah
• Message: Zephaniah spells out the judgment of
God against all who are guilty of idolatry (1:4-6),
violence and fraud (1:9), and all who sit by in idle
indifference (1:12). They will be set apart for
destruction (1:7), and their cry will be heard in
every quarter of Jerusalem (1:10-11). The only
hope for God’s people is to seek Him, and begin
living by His standards. If they do not, they will
share the fate of the nations around them: Philisita
to the west, Moab & Ammon to the east, Ethiopia
to the south and Assyria to the north. Jerusalem
will be punished for her sins (3:1-8), but a remnant
shall be saved (3:9-20).
H
Nahum
• Nahum means “consolation”.
• Dated anywhere from 630 to 612 BC .
• Messenger: We know nothing definite regarding
Nahum other than this prophecy. There is no
indication as to where and Elkoshite would come
from.
• Message: This prophecy deals directly with the
impending destruction of Nineveh. The book
declares the reasons for this destruction and shows
that the fall is God’s vindication against this wicked
place.
H
Nahum
• Outline
– God’s majesty in mercy and judgment (1:1-14)
– The siege & destruction of Nineveh (1:15-2:13)
– The reasons for Nineveh’s doom (3:1-19)
• Summary
– Nahum & Jonah were the 2 prophets primarily
charged with foretelling the fortunes of Nineveh, the
capital city of the Assyrian Empire. Jonah’s warnings
were delivered around 780 BC. And repentance
resulted (Jonah 3:5-10). Nahum speaks about 150
years later and reminds them of the consequences of
forgetting their repentance – DOOM! (1:3)
H
Present Day Nineveh
H
Habakkuk
• Habakkuk means “embrace”.
• Date: Assyria fell to the Babylonians in 612 BC
and Nebuchadnezzar pushed westward toward
Judah. The first group of captives were carried
away in 605 BC., so the date of this writing would
fall somewhere between 612 to 606 BC. Habakkuk
was waiting for the invasion (3:16)
• Messenger: We know nothing about Habakkuk
except that he was a prophet (1:1; 3:1). He is
mentioned nowhere else in the scriptures. We do
not know his home or occupation
Habakkuk
H
• Message: This prophecy is a bit different in its style of
writing. Where most of the literary prophets address the
people speaking the words of God unto them,
Habakkuk presents his writing as a representative of the
people, addressing God to reason with him about His
ways. His first problem is how to account for the fact
that social injustice and immorality prevail in the land
and the evil-doers seem to go unpunished. God tells
him that chastisement will come from the Chaldeans
who are being raised up for that very purpose.
Habakkuk does not see the justice in this act and
questions God again on his ways. God replies that the
Chaldeans, too, will be judged for all their sins. The
book ends in Habakkuk’s song of praise to God for his
complete justice and mercy.
H
Habakkuk
• Outline
– Title and name of author (1:1)
– Jehovah is to judge Judah by the Chaldeans (1:2-2:3)
•Prophet laments sins of the land (1:2-4)
•God sees this and will judge them (1:5-11)
•Prophet questions God’s justice (1:12-17)
•God answers that they will be judged, too (2:1-3)
– God’s eventual judgment of the Chaldeans (2:4-20)
•“The just shall live by faith” (2:5)
•Woes upon the Chaldeans (2:6-19)
– “The Lord is in His holy temple: let all the earth keep
silent before Him”
•Song /Prayer of Habakkuk (3:1-19)
H
The
Fall
of
Judah
3 Major
Movements
The Fall of Judah
H
(3 Major Movements)
• 605 BC. - Nebuchadnezzar sent his army to punish
Judah. Nebuchadnezzar took Jehoiakim (2
Chronicles 36:6) and others (possibly Daniel,
Shadrach, Meshach, & Abednego) as the first captives
carried away to Babylon.
• 597 BC. – Jehoiachin (Jehoiakim’s son) was the next
king of Judah and was 18 when he began to reign.
He also proved disloyal to the Babylonians and he,
his family and a large number (10,000) of other
captives were carried back to Babylon. These
captives included the best workmen of the city, and
the prophet Ezekiel was also in this group.
The Fall of Judah
(3 Major Movements)
• 586 BC. – The final king of Judah was Mattaniah
who took the name Zedekiah. There was little left of
value in Judah by this time, and there was a dire lack
of leadership. Jeremiah, the prophet, tried diligently
to initiate reforms, but it was to no avail. Zedekiah
made an alliance with the new Pharaoh in Egypt, and
Nebuchadnezzar returned a final time. Jerusalem
was burned to the ground (2 Kings 25:9), and the
final captives left for Babylon in 587-86 BC. The
kingdom of Judah was no more.
H
H
The
Fall
of
Judah
Archaeological
Discoveries
H
The Babylonian Chronicles
The Babylonian Chronicles make it possible to
assign the fall of Jerusalem to the Second of Adar
(March 16) in 597 B.C. with complete accuracy,
confirming the Biblical accounts of Babylonian
attacks on Jerusalem in 597 and 586 B.C.
The Babylonian Chronicle records:
"In the seventh month (of Nebuchadnezzar-599
BC.) in the month Chislev (Nov/Dec) the king of
Babylon assembled his army, and after he had
invaded the land of Hatti (Syria/Palestine) he laid
seige to the city of Judah. On the second day of the
month of Adara ( 16th of March) he conquered the
city and took the king (Jehoiachin) prisoner. He
installed in his place a king (Zedekiah) of his own
choice, and after he had received rich tribute, he
sent (them) forth to Babylon."
H
The Lachish Letters
Important light has been revealed regarding the last days of Judah by the
discovery in 1935 of eighteen ostraca (clay tablet with writing in ink) written in an
ancient cursive script belonging to the seventh century B.C.
They were discovered at Lachish (Tell ed-Duweir) among the ruins of a small
guard room just outside the city gate. Then a few years later three inscribed
potsherds were also found at the site, and like the others, they contained names
and lists from the period just before the fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C.
Most of the letters were dispatches from a Jewish commander named Hoshaiah
who was stationed at an outpost north of Lachish, who apparently was responsible
for interpreting the signals from Azekah and Lachish during the time when the:
Jer. 34:7 "when the king of Babylon's army fought against Jerusalem and all the
cities of Judah that were left, against Lachish and Azekah; for only these fortified
cities remained of the cities of Judah."
These final communications which mentioned the political and religious turmoil
of the last days of Judah reveal the intensity of this time period and confirm that
which was written in the Bible by the prophet Jeremiah.
H
Jehoiakin Inscription
This is one of the clay tablets that
reveal the presence of the Judean royal
house as prisoners in Babylon. They
were excavated from an arched
building near the Ishtar Gate of
ancient Babylon. The cuneiform texts,
which are dated between 595 and 570
B.C., contain lists of rations of barley
and oil issued to the captive princes
and artisans, including "Yaukin, king
of the land of Yahud." This is a direct
reference to Jehoiachin, and some of
the other tablets also mentioned his 5
sons who accompanied him to
Babylon. (Staatliche Museum, Berlin).
H
Haggai
• Haggai means “festive” or “Festival”.
• Date: Precisely dated at 520 BC. During the
reign of Darius, the Persian king (1:1)
• Messenger: We know nothing of Haggai
except that he was a prophet during the
reconstruction of Jerusalem (Ezra 5:1-2; 6:1416). Since he contrasts Solomon’s Temple
with the Temple built by Zerubbabel, some
commentators view him as an old man who
had witnessed the existence of both buildings.
This may or may not be true.
H
Haggai
• Theme: Rebuild the Temple!
• Timetable (for the Temple reconstruction):
– 536 BC – 50,000 Jews return to Jerusalem under
Zerubbabel; Altar is built and foundation is laid.
Work stops by opposition and indifference.
– 520 BC – Haggai’s call to build (6th month).
Building begins; Haggai’s second appeal (7th month);
Zechariah’s opening address (8th month).
– 516 BC – Temple completed
– 457 BC – Ezra begins reforms in Jerusalem
– 444 BC – Nehemiah rebuilds the wall of Jerusalem.
H
Haggai
• Outline:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Rebuke of indifference. (1:1-4)
Call to serious reflection. (1:5-6)
Israel’s chastenings from God. (1:7-11)
Obedience of the nation. (1:12-15)
Encouragement for the building. (2:1-5)
Promise of future glory. (2:6-9)
Clean and unclean Levitical matters. (2:10-14)
The application of these truths. (2:15-19)
God’s future blessing for Zerubbabel. (2:20-23)
H
Solomon’s Temple
The original Temple of God in
Jerusalemm was constructed during the
reign of King Solomon. Although far
greater in size and magnificence, the
structure was similar in layout to the
small, portable “Tabernacle In The
Wilderness” that it effectively replaced.
After 7 years of construction,
Solomon's Temple had a life of a little
over 360 years, from about 950 to 587
B.C. when God permitted it to be
looted and burned by the Babylonians.
H
Solomon’s Temple
A. The Most Holy Place – contained two
sculptured cherubim (2 Chron. 3:8-14)
B. The Ark of the Covenant – contained
the 10 commandments (1 Kings 8:6-7)
C. The Altar of Incense (1 Kings 7:48-50)
D. The Holy Place (2 Chronicles 3:3-7)
E. Table of Showbread (2 Chronicles 4:8)
F. Lampstands (2 Chronicles 4:7)
G. The Porch (1 Kings 6:3)
H. The Pillars (2 Chronicles 3:15-17)
I. The Copper Sea (2 Chronicles 4:4-5)
J. The Sacrificial Altar (2 Chronicles 4:1)
K. The Courtyard (2 Chronicles 4:9-10)
L. Storage Rooms (1 Kings 6:10)
H
Zerubbabel’s Temple
H
Zerubbabel’s Temple
About 70 years after the destruction of
Solomon’s Temple and the Jewish deportation an
entirely new Temple was built on Mount Moriah,
by a decree of the Persian king. The new Temple
was dedicated on March 12, 515 BC, some very
old people who could remember Solomon's
Temple regarded it a poor thing in comparison
with the splendor of the original Temple. Yet
their prophet Haggai predicted far greater glory
for it in days to come (Haggai 2:3-9).
H
Herod’s Temple
H
Herod’s Temple
None of the restorations or extensions of the Second
Temple of Zerubbabel could compare with the work begun
by King Herod I (the Great) at the beginning of 19 BC.
Herod complained that the Temple of Zerubbabel was
built like a fortress and was shorter than that of Solomon’s
Temple by about 90 feet because of a decree made by
Darius, the Persian king. King Herod no doubt wanted to
be remembered forever as the builder of the greatest
temple of the Jews. Although the reconstruction was equal
to an entire rebuilding, still the Herodian Temple cannot
be spoken of as a third Temple, for Herod even said
himself, that it was only intended to be regarded as an
enlarging and further beautifying of that of Zerubbabel’s.
Herod’s
Temple
While the main part of
Herod’s rebuilding was
completed before his death
in 4 BC, the work went on
for more than 60 years after
that. When Jesus visited the
Temple at the first Passover
of his ministry it was said
that the place had by then
been under construction for
46 years. The work was not
entirely finished until 63
AD, only 7 years before the
destruction of the entire
Temple in 70 AD.
H
H
Zechariah
• Zachariah means “whom Jehovah remembers”.
• Date: Zechariah began prophesying two
months after Haggai in 520 to 518 BC., and his
last recorded words date some two years after
the completion of Haggai.
• Messenger: Zechariah was of the priestly tribe
(Nehemiah 12:12-16), and he returned to
Jerusalem in the migration led by Zerubbabel
(Nehemiah 12:1,4,16) around 536 BC. After
his work, we are told nothing about him.
H
Zechariah
• Message: Zechariah is the longest of the
minor prophetic books and is also regarded as
the most difficult to interpret. In addition to
motivating the people to complete the temple,
Zechariah opens a window of enlightenment
regarding the spiritual temple of God which
would one day be established upon the earth
with the coming of the Messiah. There are
many messianic prophecies found in
Zechariah and much of the teaching done by
the prophet is done by the relating of visions
sent to him by God.
H
Zechariah
•Outline:
– Introduction (1:1-6)
– The 8 visions of Zechariah (1:7 – 6:8)
•Vision of the man on the red horse standing
among the myrtle trees (1:7-17)
•Vision of the Horns and Carpenters (1:18-21)
•Vision of the man with the plumb line (2:1-13)
•Vision of Joshua the High Priest accused by
Satan but vindicated (3:1-10)
H
Zechariah
•Outline (continued)
•Vision of the Candlestick and the Olive Trees
(4:1-14)
•Vision of the Flying Roll (5:1-4)
•Vision of Four Chariots (6:1-8)
– Joshua, the symbol of the priest-king (6:9-15)
– Fasts become feasts (7:1 – 8:23)
– The shepherd-king (9:1 – 11:17)
– Deliverance and the Messiah (12:1 – 14:21)
H
Zechariah
•Messianic allusions
– “the branch of David” (3:8; 6:12)
– humble king riding on a donkey (9:9)
– His dominion is universal (6:13; 9:10)
– Sold for the 30 shekels of silver (11:12-13)
– One pierced for His sheep (12:10)
– The scattering of the sheep (13:7)
– A remnant to be His (13:9)
– Victory of demonic possession (13:1-2)
H
Malachi
• Malachi means “My messenger”.
• Date: 445 – 432 BC.
• Messenger: Uses a different writing style called
“didactic-dialectic”. This style became common
in later teaching in Jewish schools and
synagogues. Malachi follows this form:
– A charge or assertion is made
– The hearer raises an objection or asks a question
regarding the charge or assertion
– A rebuttal is made with further amplification of the
original charge or assertion
H
Malachi
• Message: The Jews had started the return to
Jerusalem almost 100 years before the date of
Malachi’s writing. They returned with great
zeal and enthusiasm and renewed faith. God
had conditionally promised to bless them but
instead of prospering materially they had
suffered distress and famine resulting in a
weakened faith. They murmured against
God’s justice and manifested skepticism.
Malachi assures them that God loves them
and that sincere service would bring increased
blessing. God had not been unfaithful.
H
Malachi
• Message (continued): Their problem was to be
found in the lack of sincerity, devotion and
obedience on the part of the Jews. The divorce
rate showed that their morals were not good.
Offering defective animals for sacrifice betrayed
a lack of devotion. The withholding of tithes
and offerings revealed their selfishness. The
Jews were ritualistically serving God but not in
righteousness, holiness, and true devotion. In
effect, God informs them that Malachi is to be
the last prophet until “Elijah” comes to herald
the coming Messiah. It is now up to Judah.
H
Malachi
• Outline:
– The Jews disrespect for God (1:1-14)
– The priests and people are rebuked (2:1-16)
– God’s requirements (2:17-3:15)
– The final lot of the righteous and the wicked
(3:16-4:6)
400 YEARS OF SILENCE
H
Messianic Prophecies
• Isaiah 9:6-7 – Someone GREAT is to come!
• Zechariah 9:9-10 – The Messiah would be a
King over a huge kingdom. He would make a
triumphal entry into Jerusalem riding upon a
donkey and leading a colt, the foal of a donkey.
• Amos 9:11 – He would once again exalt the
Throne of David.
• Micah 5:2 – He would be born in Bethlehem.
• Isaiah 7:14 – He would be born of a virgin.
H
Messianic Prophecies
• Zechariah 11:12; 13:7 – He would see violence
& His price would be 30 pieces of silver.
• Jeremiah 31:15 – The murder of the innocent
children of Bethlehem would occur in an
attempt to kill the Christ.
• Jeremiah 31:31 – The Law of Moses would be
replaced with a New Covenant.
• Malachi 3:1; 4:5-6; Isaiah 40:3-5 – The Messiah
would be announced by a forerunner who would
possess the spirit of Elijah.
• Isaiah 53 – Details of His death.
H
Messianic Prophecies
• Isaiah 11:1-2 – To be of the House of David.
• Daniel 9:25 – The time of His birth.
According to Henry Liddon, there are 332
prophecies fulfilled in Christ. The
mathematical probability of all these
prophecies being fulfilled in one man is 1 out
of 84 followed by 97 zeros. (Joseph P. Free,
Archeology and Bible History, pg. 234)