THE ICONOCLASTIC MINOR PROPHETS OF ISRAEL

In the eighth century BCE, there was a group of Jewish prophets known as the “Minor Prophets” because their writings were shorter than those of the Major Prophets, such as Isaiah. We will start with Hosea, who worked and wrote toward the end of the 8^th century BCE (the 700s) in the northern kingdom of Israel, after the Hebrew kingdom had divided into northern Israel and southern Judah.        

     Hosea begins with the striking image of himself marrying a prostitute, Gomer, to deliver a shocking rebuke to the nation of northern “Israel” for its heretical and blasphemous acts against Jehovah. Hosea predicts the fall of both the Northern Kingdom and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. He describes God’s judgment on Israel and its eventual restoration through Jehovah’s grace. Hosea personifies both his nation’s apostasy and its recovery in his own words: “I will punish her for the holy days when she burnt sacrifices to Baalim 2:13)…and I will woo her, I will go with her into the wilderness.”(2:14)

Joel also warns of judgment, depicted as a devastating locust plague that will cause suffering and destruction, but ultimately will be removed and replaced with blessing and honor. Scholars believe that Joel was likely a Temple prophet of some kind, and therefore his message is directed at the Southern Kingdom of Judah. His time is generally placed in the late 400s BCE. Both the Northern and Southern Kingdoms are judged and assured of redemption. (2:18-3:21)

Amos was a shepherd and pruner of sycamore trees in the Southern Kingdom of Judah, but his message was directed at Israel, the Northern Kingdom. His message focused on a series of visions of apostasy, possibly delivered during the reigns of Uzziah, King of Judah, and Jeroboam, King of Israel (around 750 BCE). Amos delivers separate messages to the surrounding nations: against Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Ammonites, Moab, Judah, and finally, most strongly, Israel. He also envisions swarms of locusts as the agents of Jehovah’s wrath. Nevertheless, Amos predicts that a remnant of the faithful will survive. (9:9ff)

And then there’s the prophecy of Jonah. Likely written around 600 BCE, when the capital city of Assyria was Nineveh. The story is well-known: God calls Jonah to deliver a message to Nineveh, and Jonah tries to run from his calling. But he is swallowed by a whale along the way. Eventually, Jonah reluctantly goes to deliver God’s message. Even after sharing God’s message of salvation, Jonah remains stubborn and shows more pity for his dying plant than for the people of Nineveh. 

The prophet Micah most likely lived just before the destruction of both nations: the Northern Kingdom of Israel in Samaria and the Southern Kingdom of Judah in 721 BCE. He predicts this destruction upon them. The author alternates between announcing both punishment and redemption for both branches of the Jewish nation after their return to their respective countries. The key message is: “God has told you what is good: and what is it that the Lord asks of you? Only to act justly, to love loyalty, to walk wisely before your God.”(6:8) That pretty much sums up the message of all of the prophets.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

THE KINGS OF ISRAEL: SAUL, DAVID, AND SOLOMON

It wasn’t until I took an Old Testament Book Studies course in seminary that I realized how fascinating and instructive the Old Testament stories are. The accounts of Abraham’s twelve sons and their exploits in Egypt and the Land of Canaan have much to teach us about both family life and faith. However, it is when we read about the origin and development of the Kingdom of Israel that things really become interesting. It all started with the prophet Samuel and the kingship of Saul, David, and Solomon (1 Samuel and 2 Kings I and 2).

Samuel was the first “official” Prophet and Judge of Israel, and he chose Saul to be Israel’s first king. Although Saul was successful as a king and warrior, he became prideful and deceitful, ultimately rejected by Samuel for lying about obeying God’s command to destroy the enemy and their sheep. In fact, he even boasted about doing so when in reality, he had kept the sheep for himself. When he declared that he had destroyed all the sheep, Samuel responded: “What then is all this bleating of sheep in my ears? You have rejected the Lord God of Israel, and therefore He has rejected you as King of Israel.” (I Samuel 15) 

After proving himself faithful to God, young David was chosen by Samuel to become the next king of Israel. The people accepted David as their king, shouting, “Saul has killed his thousands, but David has killed his tens of thousands.” David was very successful as a warrior, and Israel gained control of the land. Saul was so upset by his failure that he took his own life by falling on his sword (1 Samuel 31). Soon afterward, David was anointed King of Israel (2 Samuel 5). Unfortunately, King David became enamored with Bathsheba and arranged for her husband to be killed so he could marry her (2 Samuel 11). But when the prophet Nathan confronted him with a clever parable about his actions, David initially denied his guilt but eventually confessed and repented in sackcloth and ashes. Despite this, the son born to Bathsheba soon died, and David mourned his loss. Later, David and Bathsheba had another son named Solomon, who eventually became the king of Israel. However, they also had another son, Absalom, who soon rebelled against David and later died a tragic and accidental death. After a reign of forty years, David died and was succeeded as king by his son Solomon.

Solomon was especially wise as a ruler and largely followed in his father’s footsteps as a loyal follower of Jehovah. He built many temples and established numerous strongholds, and constructed the highly elaborate Temple in Jerusalem (I Kings 5 ff.). The Queen of Sheba from Arabia praised and honored Solomon, and he built many temples and formed many treaties and marriages with rulers of neighboring nations. His kingdom became very wealthy and powerful. Additionally, Solomon gained a reputation for being very wise. When Solomon died, his kingdom was divided into the North and South (2 Kings 12 ff.), and it quickly descended into a series of civil wars. The Northern kingdom eventually fell to the Southern kingdom (2 Kings 16), and both were soon conquered by the Kingdom of Babylon, culminating in the complete destruction of Jerusalem in 587 BC. (Chapter 25)

This marked the beginning of the era of great Jewish prophets of Israel, such as Isaiah and Jeremiah, and was followed by the conquest of Rome in 64 BC and the destruction of Jerusalem and the ancient Jewish people.