Zechariah preached to a discouraged audience. The returned exiles had traveled a great distance, labored in reconstructing the temple—done what they thought to be God’s will—only to experience opposition from…
Category: <span>Minor Prophets</span>
God called Zechariah to preach to the exiles that had returned from captivity to build the temple in Jerusalem, according to the decree of Cyrus king of Persia (Ezra 1:1-5;…
Haggai and Zechariah preached to the exiles who returned to rebuild the temple when King Darius ruled the Persian Empire (Hag 1:1; Zech 1:1). Further historical details can be identified…
Zephaniah ministered during the reign of Josiah. That pagan worship was practiced in Judah may indicate that Zephaniah prophesied just before Josiah’s more prominent reforms (Zeph 1:4-5; 2 Kgs 23:1-27).…
The prophet Habakkuk did not indicate the names of those who reigned in Judah during his ministry, but the themes and tone of his writing parallel the events following the…
Nahum’s name means “He comforted, took pity.” Like Jonah, Nahum referenced the city of Nineveh. Nineveh’s repentance was short lived. After revival during Jonah’s ministry, the Assyrian empire—whose capital city…
Micah, a contemporary of Isaiah, preached in Judah during the reigns of Jotham (2 Kgs 15:32-38), Ahaz (2 Kgs 16:1-20), and Hezekiah (2 Kgs 18-20). During Micah’s ministry, Assyria had…
The book of Jonah poses a piercing question: What happens when God makes friends with your enemies? Jonah was called to preach to Nineveh at a time when the Assyrian…
Obadiah prophesied of God’s wrath against the Edomites. The Edomites were the descendants of Esau, having settled apart from Jacob and the Promised Land (Gen 36:8). Edom denied Israel passage…
Malachi
Malachi prophesied to the descendants of the exiles who returned to Judea following the decree of King Cyrus (Ezra 1:1-5). Haggai and Zachariah preached to those who had returned, exhorting…
Commentary Malachi Minor Prophets Old Testament