In Defense of the Minor Prophets

I drew them with gentle cords, with bands of love, and I was to them as those who take the yoke from their neck. I stooped and fed them.
Hosea 11:4

I recently heard a preacher, who was teaching from the book of Habakkuk, comment that it was his 66th favorite book of the Bible.

Sixty-sixth. Out of sixty-six. Ha!

Yes, it’s one of those lesser known minor prophets, but it happens to be one of my favorite books of the Bible. Believe it or not, many years ago I was given the task of teaching an overview of the minor prophets to a children’s class. These kids were probably around ten years old.

A waste of time, you say? I don’t think so. Even though there are things about the minor prophets that are difficult to grasp, there are also powerful themes that even children can comprehend. And even though most of the prophetic books are not as narrative as the historical books, they contain enough concrete images and events that you can give children an introduction that might help them when they study the books more in-depth later on. Not that we adult Bible students tend to do that very often.

But you always learn most when you teach, and teaching children about the minor prophets was definitely a learning experience for me. I am still no expert by any means, but there are a couple of takeaways I’d like to share. Perhaps they will pique your interest for further study.

First of all, the minor prophets serve to warn us that God does punish His children when they go astray. In fact, God showed Habakkuk that He was willing to use an even more wicked people, Babylon, as His instrument of justice. As we consider modern events like 9/11, we might wonder if God is punishing the United States. But we need to ask whether He is punishing His own people. Has the church of God gone so far astray in stubbornness, disobedience, and idolatry, that God is using extreme measures to get our attention? Church attendance certainly was up for the first few Sundays following 9/11. Compare that to church attendance post-covid.

But God does not punish out of spite or because He is vindictive. Quite the opposite. As a Father, He will resort to punishment if necessary. But first He will teach, warn, and plead. In chapter four of the book of Amos, God details several ways He had reached out to His people. Then five times He remarks, “Yet you have not returned to Me.” When children are that stubborn, fathers must resort to harsher measures.

But the motivation is love, and that brings me to the other thing that stands out to me from the minor prophets.

Just look at the book of Hosea. Speaking of His people, God says, “They did not cry out to Me with their heart,” (7:14) and “their heart is divided,” (10:2). But in chapter 11 He describes His attitude toward them this way:

When Israel was a child, I loved him, And out of Egypt I called My son. (v. 1)

I taught Ephraim to walk, Taking them by their arms; But they did not know that I healed them. I drew them with gentle cords, With bands of love, And I was to them as those who take the yoke from their neck. I stooped and fed them. (v. 3-4)

My heart churns within Me; my sympathy his stirred. (v. 8b)

Israel’s heart had turned from God, leaving His own heart broken. Just as we would not be satisfied with hypocritical lip-service from someone we love, God wants more than rote, half-hearted, technical obedience. He loves us and He wants love in return. He wants our hearts.

There are many love lessons to be gleaned from the minor prophets. Sometimes it’s a lesson of tough love. Sometimes it’s reprimand and a call to repentance. But always at the heart of it is the heart of God Himself— His love for His people. And that is something that even a child can understand.

So my advice is: give the minor prophets a chance!

Dear Heavenly Father, Your word is so rich and deep and beautiful. I thank You for every part of it. As I grow in knowledge and mature in the faith, help me not to be satisfied with only the milk of the word, but to take advantage of all of the spiritual food that You have made available through inspiration. In Jesus’s name, Amen.

by Christie Cole Atkins

Related Reading:

My Twins and the Twin Towers