HOSEA

Hosea was a prophet of God who had married a prostitute. God uses Hosea's marriage to demonstrate His unconditional and unfailing love for His unfaithful bride, Israel. Hosea was faithful to his bride even as she was continually unfaithful to Him, just as God was faithful to Israel while Israel continually turned away from God and His laws.

CHAPTERS 1–14

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JOEL

God proclaims through the prophet Joel that He is bringing a plague against Judah because of its sin, but if the people will repent, God may relent. When the Messiah arrives there will be signs in the heavens including the moon turning red like blood, and the sun becoming dark. The Apostle Peter cites the prophet Joel as proof that Jesus is the Messiah because many of the signs were fulfilled at Jesus' crucifixion and the subsequent day of Pentecost. Joel also warns that a future judgment is coming on all the nations because they have divided the land of Israel.

CHAPTER 1

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AMOS

A humble shepherd by the name of Amos is chosen by God to warn the Northern Kingdom (the ten northern tribes of Israel) that because they have rebelled against Him by worshiping other gods and ignoring God's laws, King Jeroboam would die and the people would be carried off into exile. A lion who "roars from Zion" is the symbol of God in this book.

CHAPTER 1

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OBADIAH

When the Babylonians attacked Jerusalem, the Edomites (in the area of modern day Jordan) cheered on the Babylonians because of their hatred for the Jews. God sends the prophet Obadiah to warn the Edomites, the descendants of Esau, that God is going to destroy Edom because of its great sin and hatred of His people.

CHAPTER 1

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JONAH

The most famous of the twelve "minor prophets", Jonah was commanded by God to preach to the pagan Ninevites a message of repentance, so that the city could be saved, but he initially refused. Jonah tried to flee God by sailing across the Mediterranean Sea, but he learns an important lesson: God is everywhere. Jonah is swallowed by a very large fish (possibly a whale) and remains in its stomach for three days. He prays to God for mercy and God commands the fish to vomit him up on shore. After that, Jonah obey's God's command and preaches to the city of Nineveh. The Ninevites repent and the city is spared.

CHAPTERS 1–4

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MICAH

The prophet Micah tells the people of both Israel and Judah that they are practicing injustice and calls them to turn back to God, so that they "do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with [their] God". We learn through Micah's prophecies that the Messiah will be born in Bethlehem and that for a time the nation of Israel will be abandoned until a predetermined time in the future.

CHAPTERS 1–7

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NAHUM

Years before, the prophet Jonah had called the people of Nineveh to repent and they heeded his call. However, their repentance did not last. God sends the prophet Nahum to tell of Nineveh's impending destruction. We learn in this important book that the guilty will not go unpunished.

CHAPTERS 1–3

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HABAKKUK

God reveals to the prophet Habakkuk that the wickedness of Judah had reached its zenith and must be punished. He tells the prophet that the Babylonians will be the instrument of God's justice, but Habakkuk struggles with this prospect because the Babylonians are a people even more wicked than Judah. Why would God use them? God reveals to the prophet that after the Babylonians bring judgment on Judah, they themselves will be destroyed by the surrounding nations. In Habakkuk we learn that the righteous "shall live by their faith", which is the rallying cry of the Apostle Paul and the early Church many centuries later.

CHAPTERS 1–3

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ZEPHANIAH

Through the prophet Zephaniah, God warns the disobedient nation of Israel of their impending judgment and also the future judgment of the surrounding nations. Yet after His judgment, He will bring restoration, peace, and holiness throughout the world, gathering a remnant from Israel and the surrounding nations.

CHAPTERS 1–3

CHAPTER 3 (Verse 17)

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HAGGAI

After the Jews had returned from captivity with permission to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem, they had made some progress, but as obstacles and apathy set in, the people abandoned the project to focus on making their own houses and bettering their own lives. God sends the prophet Haggai to remind the people they need to put God first and finish building His Temple. Haggai encourages them and reminds them that God is with them.

CHAPTERS 1–2

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ZECHARIAH

The prophet Zechariah has a simple message from God: "return to Me that I may return to you". For generations Israel had refused to listen to God and now God has sent another prophet. The prophecies of Zechariah are filled with vivid visions and symbols, many of which align with Daniel and Revelation. The last several chapters contain detailed descriptions of how the Messiah would suffer, Christ's second coming, and how aspects of life during the Millennial Kingdom will function.

CHAPTERS 1–14

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MALACHI

The last book in the Old Testament is the prophecy given to the prophet Malachi. Many of the people of Israel had returned from captivity and the Temple had been rebuilt in Jerusalem, but the spiritual leaders of the Jews were becoming apathetic and condoning improper sacrifices, withholding tithes and offerings, and allowing for divorce and marital unfaithfulness. God calls them to turn their hearts back to Him and through Malachi He tells the people that God is going to come to them very soon in person.

CHAPTERS 1–4

CHAPTER 3 (Verses 6–12)

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