The Minor Prophets Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah And Jonah

In the language of the Bible, "prophecy" has quite a broad meaning, but refers, primarily, to the idea of "speaking in the name of God". The entire Old Testament could be said to be prophetic, but some books carry the names of twelve "minor" prophets - a distinction based on their length. Not all of them easy to date, the authors and editors of these books in the "roll of the twelve prophets" lived at times between the eighth century and second century BC.

The Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries provide compact, critical commentaries on the books of the Old Testament for the use of theological students and pastors. The commentaries are also useful for upper-level college or university students and for those responsible for teaching in congregational settings. In addition to providing basic information and insights into the Old Testament writings, these commentaries exemplify the tasks and procedures of careful interpretation to assist students of the Old Testament in coming to an informed and critical engagement with the biblical texts themselves. The prophetic books gathered together in the book of the Twelve are sometimes called the "minor" prophets because of their relatively small size when compared with Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. They are often neglected, at least partly because their words of judgment make the reader uncomfortable. Yet they have considerable theological and ethical value--for their call for social justice (especially Amos and Micah), their insights about the passionate love of God (in Hosea), God's grace and forgiveness (Jonah, Hosea, and elsewhere), and the finality of hope, even in the face of terrible catastrophes.

The Bible is simply a love letter compiled into sixty-six books and written over a period ofsixteen hundred years by more than forty authors living on three continents. Although theauthors came from different backgrounds, there is one message, one theme, one thread that runs throughout the entire Bible from the first book, Genesis, to the last book, Revelation. That message is God's redeeming love for mankind--a message that is as relevant for us today as it was two thousand years ago.The scope of The Early Minor Prophets (Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, and Micah) is broad indeed. Chronologically, they span more than four centuries from approximately 848 to 425 BC. Geographically, they touch Israel, Judah, Syria, Moab, Ammon, Edom, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Assyria. Thematically, they explore such topics as love, mercy, compassion, wrath, judgment, holiness, obedience, disobedience, hope, repentance, and many more.As you begin your study of these books, be prepared for gripping and graphic portrayalsof both God and man: Hosea's picture of God's love for his adulterous people symbolizedby the prophet's love for his adulterous wife; Jonah's portrayal of himself as a disobedient,runaway prophet pursued by a patient God; Amos's colorful visions of God's judgment that would come because of his continued disobedience; and Obadiah's classic portrait of pride.The setting of these books may be ancient, but their message is modern. You will meet the eternal God in them -- and you will meet yourself. Welcome to the Minor Prophets whose message is major.

Taken together, the Twelve Prophets offer a panoramic view of Israel's religion during one of the most critical periods in the Israelites' history. Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, and Jonah are the figures considered in this first of Peter C. Craigie's two-volume work. Although differing in substance as well as style, these prophetic books are united in their common purpose: the declaration of the word of God to the people of God. Carrying forward brilliantly the pattern established by Barclay's New Testament series, the Daily Study Bible has been extended to cover the entire Old Testament as well. Invaluable for individual devotional study, for group discussion, and for classroom use, the Daily Study Bible provides a useful, reliable, and eminently readable way to discover what the Scriptures were saying then and what God is saying today.