PERHAPS THE MOST DIFFICULT BOOKS to understand are the prophets because most readers are not clued into what is going on. This final course on the Old Testament paints the background of which the twelve minor prophets were a part. To properly understand the prophets, it is imperative to understand the life setting in which they lived out their lives and ministered. It is with this understanding that the whole book becomes rich and more than just a blessed thought here and there to underline. You will be amazed, shocked, and delighted, even when it’s not all “happily ever after.” This is not a fairy tale; this is an encounter with real life.
SOME OF THE THINGS SAID by the minor prophets are the most glorious things said in all the world. Though these men are known today as the “minor” prophets, their work is so major that this one course could leave you a changed person if you allow for it. As you begin to take on the mantle of some of these marvelous biblical characters whose names are difficult to pronounce, let alone remember in order, you will come to know the common denominator of all twelve books: LOVE. More specifically, God will be made known through love’s passionate anger, love’s patient purpose and love’s patient victory. There is nothing more contemporary or up-to-date than the message of God’s love.
“We all admire the hero. That person who’s celebrated for accomplishing big things in the face of even bigger odds. Yet heroes aren’t defined by their circumstances, but by their choices. They’re people who continually choose to serve others, even when no one is watching, and without expecting credit.” — WARREN W. WIERSBE
