Minor Prophets for Every Man

God said concerning Israel, “I have written to him the great things of my law, but they were counted as a strange thing” (Hos. 8:12). This statement is both a condemnation of the people and an expression of the need for the messages of such prophets as Hosea. The same criticism might be offered, in an accommodative way, concerning our understanding of the words of the Minor Prophets. For years, there has been a void in our knowledge of this part of the Bible. For one thing, until recently there have not been many good books available on the Minor Prophets. But, more importantly, we have not taken the time to put in the hours of hard work that are necessary in order to understand the prophetic writings. Surprisingly, however, when we knuckle down and study them, we discover that they are both fascinating and practical, and that they have much to say to God’s people who, at present still live “in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation.” All of us have been blessed for some time now with Homer Hailey’s works on the prophets, but his commentaries necessitate a thorough study of each prophet’s writing in order to grasp the message. Our aim in this volume, however, is to provide snapshots and guidelines for the study of these prophets. A quick glance at the Table of Contents will indicate the rich variety of approaches to such study that are discussed in this book. There are chapters about principles of interpretation, key doctrines, and three individual prophetic books. Furthermore, there are personal profiles of Amos, Hosea, and Micah, three of the most personable prophets. And the other chapters deal with the prophets as preachers of the covenants and as antagonists of formalism, false religion, social sins, and the personal immorality of the society in which God’s righteous remnant had to keep faith with God and His word.