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This week, you will be reading the first four of the twelve Minor Prophets, two of which we have decided to explore deeper in this week's blog.

Hosea - Hosea was a prophet to northern Israel and its king, Jeroboam II, about 200 years after the national split. This is a complex book full of poetic language and allegory, namely of Hosea and the relationship with his “wife of the night,” Gomer. The book focuses on Israel’s idolatry (as prostitution), their coming judgement through Assyria, but also God’s undying love and covenant faithfulness to all his people, now and in the future. Joel - Unlike Hosea, Joel has no clear historical place or time, but it was likely in the post-exilic period. Joel does not go after any one of Israel’s particular sins, but focuses on the Day of the Lord, both in the past and future. He also points to God’s self-declared covenant faithfulness, which creates hope and is described as a picturesque future. Amos - Amos was a prophet from southern Judah who was sent to northern Israel about 150 years after the national split. He focuses on the rampant social injustice throughout all the nations, but most specifically (and intensely) of Israel’s. Israel was called by God, and had virtually no excuse for its behavior; Amos exposes this all and announces the Day of the Lord, which is coming for Israel. Obadiah - This is the shortest prophetic book, and by extension, the shortest book in the Old Testament. Obadiah was a prophet to Judah’s neighbor, Edom. However, like many prophetic books, this is allegorical in that it is pointing to the Day of the Lord, not just against Edom, but against all prideful nations. Obadiah also preaches that God will bring restoration and renewal to all those who repent and turn back to Him.

P.S. Want to dive deeper? Start with our blog on Biblical Theology. This week, we take a look at Hosea & Amos: Two Sides of Covenant Failure.

START WITH THE BLOG

You can also sign-up for our weekly Read Scripture E-mail at thebibleproject.com, or download the app at readscripture.org

Watch Read Scripture: Hosea

I highly recommend the videos by Jon and Tim and the rest of the team behind The Bible Project. This is one of my favorites. I’m going to start posting more of them around here too. 

A study on “Holiness” by the talented team behind The Bible Project. I absolutely adore their videos, their dedication, and the many artists they bring together.