As you prepare your minds to hear afresh the messages of the Minor Prophets, consider his thoughts:

“For some reason we hardly ever read the prophets. Maybe it is because they seem so historically distant. Maybe it is because the traditional arrangement of their writings in the Bible actually leads us away from the rich fabric of social, political, and religious conflict against which their prophetic messages played such a vital part. But when placed in proper context, they breathe life into the history of the kings and battles of the divided kingdom.

But it was more than a fresh perspective that caught my attention. It was the prophets themselves. Not the false prophets, of which there were many, but those great men of God who called the people away from idolatry back to the Creator-God of the universe. These were the often-reluctant warriors of the faith who denounced the people's entanglement in materialistic goals and superficial, institutionalized religion. These were the conscience-challenging spokesmen who cut through religiosity and demanded that religion move from the pious remoteness of the altar to the dusty streets of pain, poverty, and social injustice.

Where the priests had sold out to the mediocre maintenance of a caretaker ritual, the prophets called for fire in one's bones! Where moral indifference had become the order of the day, the prophets pointed to the high road of holiness and purity. And they spoke with passion! No three-point sermons with catchy titles for them! It was just God's message coming through like a heat-seeking missile headed straight into the inner courts of the temple.

For me the prophets ripped away the outer trappings of my own religious exercise. They called out to me deep within my conscience. They exposed me, shamed me, and condemned me! But they also picked me up, gave me new direction, and told me what I could be with God's help. They showed me courage in the face of persecution, strength from the pitfalls of weakness.

But most of all the prophets brought me close to God. Because they themselves were so close to God, to know them intimately was to know God himself. Praise God for sending us the prophets!”

If you’re like me, it may have been a while since you’ve shook hands with the prophets of old. Let’s blow the dust off the Old Testament and listen carefully to the messages of these Minor Prophets.

- Jeff Spry

What Most Women Want, F. LaGard Smith; Chapter 7 - Of Prophets, Prophetesses & Prophecy; pgs.109-110