THE MINOR PROPHETS. SPIRITUAL AND SOCIAL ABOLITIONISTS
Dr. Cornelius Hegeman
MINTS
14401 Old Cutler Rd., Miami, Florida
2017
INDEX FOR THE COURSE ON THE MINOR PROPHETS
HOW TO STUDY THE COURSE ON THE MINOR PROPHETS
PREFACE
INTRODUCTION TO THE MINOR PROPHETS
WEEK ONE. HOSEA
WEEK TWO JOEL
WEEK THREE AMOS
WEEK FOUR OBADIAH
WEEK FIVE JONAH
WEEK SIX MICAH
WEEK SEVEN NAHUM
WEEK EIGHT HABAKKUK
WEEK NINE ZEPHANIAH
WEEK TEN HAGGAI
WEEK ELEVEN ZECHARIAH
WEEK TWELVE MALACHI
CONCLUSION TO THE MINOR PROPHETS
BIBLIOGRAPHY
BIOGRAPHY OF AUTHOR
HOW TO STUDY THE COURSE
The student will enter into the prophecy and world of the prophecy of the Minor Prophets and seek to give a biblicallyaccurate and Christ-centered interpretation of the prophecy.
OBJECTIVES
1.To study all of the Minor Prophets
2.To develop personal Bible study techniques while studying the Minor Prophets
3.To familiarize oneself with the observations of others who have studied the Minor Prophets
4.To write materials that will be useful in communicating the message of these books
5.To orally present the message of these books, whether that be in preaching, teaching, journalism, counseling or other forms of communication.
REQUIREMENTS
1.Participate in 15 hours of communal dialogue about the contents of the Minor Prophets
2.Complete the Bible study exercises as contained in the 12 lessons
3.Locate good Bible commentaries on the Minor Prophets and read them.
4.Write a sermon or study a lesson plan on a theme from the Minor Prophets. 1.5 font, 12 – 15 pages at MA level.
5.Preach, teach or write on the theme that was developed.
EVALUATION
1.One point for every hour of class or communal interaction (15%)
2.Four points for each class in which the students came prepared with corresponding questions answered. One point for completion of all (25%)
3.For readings (600 for MA) read commentaries on the Minor Prophets and incorporate findings into the essay (25%)
4.Write an academic essay on a theme of the Minor Prophets (25%)
5.Final exam. Ten questions taken from the questions at the end of each lesson (10%)
APPLICATION
1.The student will be able to dialogue about the Minor Prophets with others.
2.The student will develop study skills to study prophecy.
3.The student will have access to the commentaries of other students of the Bible
4.The student will be able to write about a major theme in the Minor Prophets
5.The student will be able to orally communicate a major theme of the Minor Prophets to others.
REQUIRED MATERIALS
- The MINTS Study Manual on the Minor Prophets; access to two study Bibles and access to at least 5 Commentaries on the Minor Prophets
- Access the digital copy of Calvin’s Commentaries on the Minor Prophet (mintsespanol.com/ English)
- Access the digital copy of the Teacher’s Manual for the Minor Prophets (mintsespanol.com/English)
For the English speaking students, they are to consult Niel Steward’s, The Prophets of the Old Testament as well as Don Ritsman’s work,The Prophets,andRichard Pratt,He Gave Us Prophets, which has a syllabus prepared by Richard Ramsay. Mintsespanol.com
CLASS RECORD
Name of Student- / Attendance(15%) / Home-
Work
(25%) / Readings and reflections
(25%) / Written
Work
(25%) / Final Exam
(10%) / Final
Mark
(100%)
PREFACE TO THE MASTER’SCOURSE
This course, written in English, is prepared for master’s level MINTS students. At the bachelor’s level, each Minor Prophet constitutes a course and materials are available for that.
Several measures have been taken in this courseto adapt it to a distance education audience.
- Quotes have a double emphasis of quotation marks and italics. As a course, this helps the student to identify the quotes quickly.
- A space has been eliminated after major titles to reduce the amount of space and pages.
- Each Minor Prophet has a preface which identifies when the author wrote the course. This helps to contextualize the quotes and anecdotes used in the course
- Each Minor Prophet is developed into a separate course that can be studied at the bachelor’slevel. This master’scourse combines all twelve Minor Prophets.
- Calvin’s Commentaries, as well as the teacher’s manual for the master’slevel course, is posted on mintsespanol.com
The author wrote this course during the year 2016. Each month of the year was dedicated to writing a bachelor’s level course on one of the Minor Prophets. Then, in December of 2016, all the courses were combined for a master’s level course on the Minor Prophets.
The bachelor’s level courses on the singular books of the Minor Prophets are accompanied Calvin’s Commentaries in the appendix of the course. For the master’s level courses, all of Calvin’s Commentaries on the Minor Prophets are combined into one singular digital document and can be found, along with the Teacher’s Manual for the Minor Prophets, on mintsespanol.com/ English courses. In both the master’s and bachelor’s courses, the prayers of John Calvin, as located during his exposition of the Prophets, are included in the corresponding lessons. Whereas Calvin is known for his strong insights and rigid theology, his prayers show a humble servant’s heart.
The inclusion of Calvin’s Commentaries gives the students a classical Reformed interpretation of the Minor Prophets. The author copied the version prepared in English by John Owen. It was taken from ccel.org. Minor revisions were made such as using contemporary, rather than Victorian English. I removed Owen’s editorial notes as well as the Latin Biblical texts. This was done so that it would be easier to read as well as translate into other languages.
The English-speakingmaster’s level students will be asked to read the MINTS authors: Niel Steward (The Prophets of the Old Testament), Don Ritsman (The Prophets, Isaiah), JosterJumbe (Jonah), Julian Zugg (Jonah), Frank Sindler (Micah) and Craig Mobey (Habakkuk) as found on and mintsespanol.com.Richard Pratt. He Gave Us Prophets has a syllabus prepared by Richard Ramsay. The Spanish speaking students have over 20 courses on the prophets. A special thanks to Norlan De Groot and Julian Zugg for reading and editing the individual courses and to Norland for reviewing the final edition.
The writing of this course represents a labor of love for 12 months. Sermons from these studies were preached in Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Mexico, Canada and the United States. Studies on the books of Amos, Hosea, Jonah, Obadiah, Zephaniah, and Haggai were given at Charlotte Correctional Institution and Zephyrhills Correctional Institution during the years 2015 - 2016. The author preaches from these books at the Monday evening services at Charlotte CI. The author is planning to teach the remaining books of the Minor Prophets at these institutionsin March 2017.
Several remaining tasks remain to be completed with this course. One, translators need to be found to translate the course into Spanish and other languages. Two, the finishing of the translations of Calvin’s Commentary on the Minor Prophets needs to be accomplished in coordination with other educational and theological ministries. Ongoing consultation and coordination with other MINTS writers will be encouraged. It is amazing how many courses on the Minor Prophets are being written in Spanish. The number is approach 40 (mintsespanol.com). Our collective academic, educational, theological, ministerial and missional goal is to study, pray over and communicate the message of the Minor Prophets to the Church and the world.What a blessing to be able to get into the Word of God as a MINTS team.
INTRODUCTION TO THE MINOR PROPHETS
It is helpful to know information about the chronology of historical events, the reigns of the kings of Israel and Judah. The dates that are presented here are taken from the studies of Merrill Unger, Steve de Vries and compared to the NIV Bible Study and Reformation Study Bible.[1]
CHRONOLOGY OF HISTORICAL EVENTS DURING THE TIME OF THE MINOR PROPHETS
722-1 B.C.The fall of Samaria by Assyria and the exile of the Northern Kingdom
701 B.C. The repentance of Hezekiah
633 B.C. The fall of Thebes (Egypt)
612 B.C.The fall of Nineveh
597 B.C.The fall of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar
587 B.C.The destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar
536 B.C.Cyrus decrees the rebuilding of Jerusalem
520 B.C.The work of Haggai and Zechariah in the reconstruction of the temple.
516 B.C.The finishing of construction of temple
457 B.C.The return to Jerusalem directed by Ezra
445 B.C.Nehemiah reconstructs Jerusalem
CHRONOLOGY OF THE KINGS OF JUDAH
926 - 910 B.C. Rehoboam
910 - 908 B.C Abijah
908 - 872 B.C. Asa
872 - 852 B.C. Jehoshaphat
852-845 B.C. Jehoram (or Joram)
845 - 844 B.C. Ahaziah
845 - 839 B.C. Athaliah
839- 800 B.C. Joash (or Jehoash)
800 - 785 B.C. Amaziah
785 - 747 B.C. Uzziah Hosea, Isaiah, Amos
758 - 743 B.C. Jotham Hosea, Isaiah, Micah
742 - 725 B.C. Ahaz Hosea, Isaiah, Micah
725 - 697 B.C. Hezekiah Hosea, Isaiah, Micah, Nahum
696 - 642 B.C. Manasseh
641 - 640 B.C. Amon
639 – 609 B.C Josiah Jeremiah, Zephaniah, Habakkuk
609 B.C. Jehoahaz Jeremiah
608 – 598 B.C. Jehoiakim Jeremiah, Daniel
598 B.C. Johoaichin Jeremiah, Ezekiel
598 – 587 B.C. Zedekiah Jeremiah
587 B.C. Fall of Jerusalem[2] Obadiah
CHRONOLOGY OF THE KINGS OF ISRAEL
926 – 907 B.C. Jeroboam I
907 – 906 B.C. Nadab
906 – 883 B.C. Baasha
883 – 882 B.C. Elah
882. B.C. Zimri
882 – 871 B.C. Omri
871 – 852 B.C. Ahab
851 – 845 B.C. Jehoram.
845 – 818 B.C. Jehu
818 – 802 B.C. Johoahaz
802 – 787 B.C. Joash
787 – 747 B.C. Jeroboam II. Jonah, Amos, Hoseah
747 – 746 B.C. Zecheriah Joel
747 – 746 B.C. Shallum
746 – 737 B.C. Manahem
736 – 735 B.C. Pekahiah
734 – 733 B.C. Pekah
732 – 724 B.C. Hoshea
721 B.C. Fall of Samaria[3]
CHRONOLOGY OF THE MAYOR PROPHETS
ISAIAH(1:1) “During the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.” Merril Unger has them at 785 - 697 a.C.[4]
JEREMIAH. “The word of the LORD came to him in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah, son of Amon king of Judah, and through the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, down to the fifth month of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, son of Josiah king of Judah when the people of Jerusalem went into exile.” According to Merrill Unger, that would be from 626 - 587 a.C.[5]
LAMENTATIONS. “The earliest possible date for the book is 586 B.C. and the latest is 516 (when the rebuilt Jerusalem temple was dedicated). The graphic immediacy of Lamentations argues for an earlier date, probably before 575.”[6]
EZEKIEL. “In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month on the fifth day, while I was among the exiles by the Kebar River, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God. On the fifth month, it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin, the word of the LORD come to Ezekiel…” (1: 1 – 3a). “Having received his call in July, 593 BC, Ezekiel is active for 22 years, his last dated oraclebeing received in April 571 (see 29: 17).”[7]
DANIEL. “In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah.” (1:1a). According to Merrill Unger, Jehoiakim (608 - 598 BC.) so this was probably in 605 BC.[8]
CHRONOLOGY OF THE TIMES OF THE MAYOR PROPHETS
JONAH. "II Kings 14:25 tells us that Jonah the son of Amittai prophesied during the reign of Jeroboam II. Thus was contemporary with Amos and Hosea."[9]According to Unger, the reign of Jeroboam II was 787 - 747 BC.
HOSEA. "Hosea 1: 1 tells us that his ministry was developed under the kings of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah of Judah, and Jeroboam of Israel. He was contemporary with Amos in the north, and Isaiah and Micah in the south. All his prophecies concerning Samaria were fulfilled during or immediately after his life. The Northern Kingdom was destroyed in 721 BC. And the inhabitants of Samaria were exiled by Assyria. You can learn more from the context by reading 2 Kings 14:23 to 17:41, a passage dealing with the same historical period.”[10] Merrill Unger has the kings of Judah between 785-697 BC. And Jeroboam II of Israel at 787 - 747 BC.[11] For if Jeroboam ends in 747 B.C., the prophecy was before 747 B.C.
JOEL. "The name Joel means Jehovah is God. Joel is second in command of the Minor Prophets but very little is known about their historical context. The names of the kings under which Joel ministered were not mentioned. Nor is there any other historically known event with which we could date the book of Joel.”[12]
AMOS. "The first verse tells of the historical situation of Amos, who prophesied about Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah and in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake (1: 1)."[13]
OBADIAH. "There is very little we can say about the prophet Obadiah himself. The book contains his vision (1: 1) and nothing else. It's against Edom."[14]
MICAH. "The name Micah means: Who is like Jehovah? Micah prophesied between 750 and 686 B.C. Merril Unger has 758 -697 B.C. He was contemporary with Isaiah but did not move in the same circles. "[15]
NAHUM. "The name Nahum has a surprising meaning. The name means comfort, but when reading the book, the idea of comfort that away from the mind of the reader. It is a book of wrath, judgment, and condemnation. Unlike the other prophetic books, there is almost no hope, no salvation (see exception in 1:15 and 2: 2). And the sentence pronounced here by the prophet was fulfilled literally a few years later in the year 612 B.C."[16]
HABAKKUK. "For some of the events described in the book, it is believed that Habakkuk prophesied soon after 600 B.C. If this date is correct Habakkuk was a contemporary of Jeremiah. "[17]
ZEPHANIAH. "The prophet Zephaniah wrote his book not long after the 50-year reign of Manasseh. As we see in II Kings, Manasseh succeeded in subjecting the Hebrew religion to all other religions of neighboring countries. It left a mixture of pagan religions and the inheritance of sin that these religions had introduced. He instituted until the sacrifice of children in Jerusalem. 2 Kings 21:16 also informs us that Manasseh adhered much innocent blood in a great way, until he filled Jerusalem from end to end. "[18]
HAGGAI. "Haggai was the first prophet of the restoration of the temple. The distance between Zephaniah and Haggai is much more than a page. With Haggai we are in the time after the exile. The nations of Judah and Israel no longer exist as independent states. In addition to losing his independence, he lost everything. The residents were moved to other countries and it seemed that the separation between the people of God and their land was permanent. To better understand the context of Haggai, we have to read the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. Events related to the ministry of Haggai are reported there."[19]
ZECHARIAH. "Zechariah was a contemporary of Haggai. According to 1: 1 the word of the Lord came to him two months after the first message of Haggai (see Haggai 1: 1). Thus we can see that the two prophets worked in the same environment and with the same public."[20]
MALACHI. "Malachi means my messenger, and he is the last of the lesser prophets. The exiles who returned to Jerusalem have already settled there. The temple is finished and the sacrifices required by the Law of Moses are being offered."[21]
The author of this study has placed the theme of the Minor Prophets in the mold of the abolitionists. The Christian abolitionists call for a total surrender to the doctrine and ethics of the LORD. They called God’s people to repent and be separated from sin. In terms of the Christian church, they exercised both discipline and ministry to the victims of sin. In terms of Christian church history, the abolitionists called for separation from the Roman Catholic Church (Belgic Confession Art. 29), an end to the African racist slavery (Wilberforce), and today call for an end the genocide of the unborn and destruction of the human family.
The historical destruction of Nineveh, the Ten Tribes of Israel, Thebes, Jerusalem, and Judah are part of the prophetic message of these Old Testament abolitionists who called for Israel’s and Judah’s separation from idolatry and paganism. God will use all means to accomplish His redemptive purpose. This truth is affirmed in the life, death, and resurrection of the “Sun of Righteousness” (Mal. 4: 2). Jesus Christ the Lord had to die on the cross for His people. He is the ultimate sacrifice, the Lamb of God, through who the desired transformation and holiness comes into the world. What Israel could not accomplish as a people and nation, Jesus accomplished (Mt. 1: 1; 28: 19 -20). Only by faith in Jesus Christ will God’s people be able to repent and live in holiness and bring God the glory He deserves.
HOSEA
PREFACE
INTRODUCTION TO THE PROPHECY OF HOSEA
LESSON ONE. INTRODUCTION (1:1-2)
LESSON TWO. THE CHILDREN (1: 3-2:1)
LESSON THREE. THE REBUKE AND RESTORATION OF GOMER (2:2-23)
LESSON FOUR. THE HUSBAND’S INSTRUCTION AND HOPE (Ch. 3)
LESSON FIVE. GOD’S CHARGE AGAINST ISRAEL AND GOSPEL OFFER (4:1-6: 3)
LESSON SIX. ISRAEL’S PUNISHMENT (6: 4 – 10:15)
LESSON SEVEN. THE LORD’S FAITHFULNESS (Chs. 11-13)
LESSON EIGHT. GOSPEL RECONCILIATION (Ch. 14)
CONCLUSION TO THE PROPHECY OF HOSEA
PREFACE
This course on the prophecy of Hosea is one in a series on the Minor Prophets.[22] The author has completed Joel, Amos, Habakkuk, Obadiah and Jonah. The reason for writing courses on the Minor Prophets is not only to provide study materials for the MINTS Theological Seminary but also to be able to review the courses written by the MINTS students on the subject matter in both the English and Spanish language.[23]
The hermeneutic used to interpret the prophecy of Hosea follows the Bible study methods presented in Practical Hermeneutics.[24] These include the theological, critical, inductive, expositional, literary, doctrinal, personal, ministerial and devotional methods. Not all of these methods are used in every lesson, but these tools are available for interpreting the biblical text.
The resources provided by e-Sword are used as this program is accessible to the students.[25] The program provides a variety of Bible versions, word studies, commentaries, dictionaries and other helps. One reason these resources are used is that they are available to distance education learners. The student is encouraged to download his own free version of e-Sword.
The course makes reference to Calvin’s Commentary on Hosea. The author has copied the version edited by John Owens which is on the ccelwebsite.[26] Since it is public domain material, it can be publically used. The author has edited this version by putting it into modern English and using more contemporary language for some of the words.