Sermon 84
Sermon by Brenda Williams at Wonersh on 22nd April 2007.
MINOR
PROPHETS
Revised
Thought I was going to preach on a topical issue – had ideas of reworking previous talks, particularly one on Poverty, Wealth and Simplicity in the light of ‘Saving the Planet’ today.
Mind boggled at 12 books in 20 minutes
Last studied in depth with LBC correspondence course in 1957 – to impress a certain keen medical student!! ‘Come for Bible study in the student’s hostel – not ‘come and see my etchings’
Tonight – no power point, no visual aids, just a renewed passion to inspire you to take home the outlines and look at these amazing scriptures in ‘bite size’ pieces.
Although written over 2000 years ago
They are powerful
They are topical -
They are written by very ordinary men
They are inspired by an extraordinary God
They have interestingly different literary styles.
We can read them reflecting on the great themes running through this whole section of the Bible. Like a necklace of twisted strands of coloured beads
Crime and Punishment
Judgement and Mercy
Hatred and Love
Commitment and Betrayal
Ritualism and True Worship
Idolatry and Political Power
Waywardness and Repentance
Adultery and Restoration
We can dig out gold nuggets of verses, for a central medallion on our necklace, verses that we’ve heard in the past and can’t quite remember where.
There are over 100 songs in our Songs of Fellowship that are based on verses from the minor prophets
Kendrick’s O Lord the clouds are gathering,
The fire of judgement burns
How we have fallen,
O Lord You stand appalled to see
Your laws of love so scorned
And lives so broken From Amos ch 5
Or
O Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness
Bow down before Him, His glory proclaim With gold of obedience and incense of lowliness kneel and adore him the lord is his name From Hosea ch 6
Or
We confess the sins of our nation and
Lord we are guilty of a prayerless life
We turned away our hearts from your laws From Malachi 5
These books, which have inspired song writers, were written between 835 and 430 BC so cover around 4 centuries of Jewish History from :-
years of prosperity through
years of turmoil and political instability,
military liaisons with neighbouring powers with disastrous effects,
syncretism and worship of God’s other than Yahweh,
problems
of division of the nation into two,
exile
into
……………………………
There
is consistency in the message the prophets bring
Always stern warnings
that God hates sin
that judgement will come
that he will destroy, demolish, disperse all that is wicked and evil
BUT
Is prepared to delay --- delay--- delay and show mercy to all who will turn in repentance from their wicked ways.
………………………………….
There
is variety in the styles used by the individual prophets
All speak with the same passion (except perhaps our old friend Jonah a book more about the man than the message, although when it finally got to Ninevah, had an astounding and immediate effect).
Hosea ( like Jesus ) uses images from daily life –
God is depicted as husband, father, lion, leopard, dew, rain
Hosea’s own life and love story is the most powerful, poignant visual aid of a God who goes on loving in spite of betrayal. Ch 3 v 1 ( sheet )
Little about Hosea’s emotions, a lot about God’s relationship with
Book ‘Redeeming Love’ Musical ‘Hosea’
Ref; two readings
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JOEL vividly describes the devastation of a plague of locusts as a foretaste of the coming day of judgement. This is a timeless call to repentance, but characteristically has a promise of blessing.
READ JOEL CH 2 VS 28 -32 (A GOLD NUGGET )
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AMOS from Judah, a humble shepherd and tree surgeon (busy with sycamore seedlings),
became a missionary prophet to the
Had a wide ranging knowledge of the countries beyond his borders. An example to us to be globally aware of oppression, idolatry, militarism and greed.
Writes in a poetic way asking to be read aloud. REF TO BIBLE
In the early days of Tear fund Amos was often used as chosen reading for a Tear fund talk. Garth Hewitt’s backing song to an early Video went like this, challenging us all to speak out for justice
‘You’ve silenced your prophets, You’ve cut down your dreamers
Your life blood is money, you’re trampling on the poor
O the people of the West, they just love to invest in the system that keeps the poor man poor’
Then the verse Amos ch 5 v 24
‘But let justice roll on like a river, truth like a never failing steam –
And the tears of woe will turn to laughter, and people become what they should be’
The call to be practical and not just to utter pious platitudes about the state of the world stirred us up personally in the 60s and 70s. In one church we belonged to they issued a warning to anyone on the overseas ministry support team –‘ join at your own risk, you’ll be working in an area of real need before long!’ It was true, one by one we went out to the 4 corners of the world in ministries of many kinds – including the agriculturalists and forestry workers.
Amos uses striking metaphors from his farming experience.
‘Now then, I will crush you as a cart crushes when loaded with grain’ ch 2 v 13
‘The lion has roared, who will not fear, the Sovereign Lord has spoken, who can but prophesy?” Ch3 v 8 - compelled by God
also mutilated sheep Ch 3 v 12; pampered cows (which he
called the ladies of
The challenge for us today is
Have we grown complacent?
Have other concerns taken God’s place in our lives?
Are we ignoring those in need ?
Are our systems oppressing the poor?
WE TOO CAN BE GOD’S PEOPLE
WE CAN LISTEN FOR HIS CLEAR CALL
WE CAN DO WHAT HE SAYS
WE CAN GO WHEREVER HE LEADS.
…………………………………
OBADIAH
Shortest book in Old Testament
Dramatic example of God’s response to anyone who would harm his children
Vigorous poetic language written in the form of a dirge of doom
( Do as you would be done by or be done by as you did – Water Babies)
…………………………………..
JONAH
Shows God’s great love enough for all people, all nations, all culture.
Story of the reluctant prophet
Only one verse of prophesy – ‘Forty more days and Ninevah will be overturned’ ch 3 v 4
From the king downward they all repented (sadly not end of story of Ninevah – just temporary repentance.
………………………………………
MICAH
A vision of
what God saw as the sins of
God’s burning hatred of sin balanced by the reality of His love.
Told as classical Hebrew poetry.
John Stedman’s thanksgiving service
READ KEY VERSE
READ CHAPTER 7 VERSES 18/19
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NAHUM
Possibly 100 years later than Jonah AGAIN Ninevah had become a wicked city.
Judged for their cruelty, arrogance, murder, lies, treachery, social injustice.
Prophecy came true 50 years later.
We wait on for
regimes which are today’s parallels to fall under God’s judgement. (
We can be sure that God is sovereign even over those who are seemingly invincible.
God’s power and justice will one day conquer all evil
………………………………………….
HABAKKUK
Habakkuk asks God the kind of questions we come up against when talking to people about God today
Why do the wicked prosper?
Why is there so much suffering?
Why does God allow evil to rampage across nations?
Why does God seem not to be listening when we pray?(ALTHEA)
God’s answers fill chapter 2 – Although the wicked seem to triumph, they will be judged and righteousness will prevail.
Although Habakkuk can’t yet see God’s answers, he rejoices in what God is going to do.
ZEPHANIAH
Again a message of doom at the beginning of the book becomes a message of hope by the end.
This book probably contains a message we need from our church leaders today.
Zephaniah urges the nation to gather together and pray for salvation, PERSONAL AND NATIONAL
We also have to ask ourselves if our own lives are just outward show, or is our faith changing our hearts and lives.
We need to gather together to encourage each other to walk humbly with God, to do what is right.
READ CH 2 V 1 AND 3
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HAGGAI
To the returned exiles who have given up on rebuilding the temple – central focus for remembering the Lord.
‘Get our priorities right’
READ KEY VERSE ON SHEET
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ZECHARIAH
Prophesies and warnings while they were rebuilding the temple
Urged them to live upright, pure lives putting God and his laws at the centre.
Messages of hope after building completed – deliverance will come through God’s promised Messiah. There will be difficulties but His Kingdom will last forever.
PALM SUNDAY READING Ch 9 vs 9/10
MALACHI
Sections address sins of the people and their the priests and leaders, urging as before repentance and restoration of relationship with God.
Employs the dramatic style of questions going back and forth between God and the people.
Contains Messianic messages( OTHER GOLD NUGGETS)
READ CH 3 V 1 – 5 AND CH 4 VS 1/2
So these prophets are only ‘minor’ to my mind in their length and possibly position in the Old Testament.
In no way are they tacked on – they are from men of stature, fearlessly proclaiming hard truths. They are prepared to stand up and be counted, ridiculed, shouted down.
Where are today’s prophets?
Is there a public platform we are prepared to mount to warn people of God’s wrath at what he must be furious about.
We may preach it from time to time in this church – but isn’t that to the converted?
Doesn’t God still grieve over the neglect of his laws?
Doesn’t he see rich nations getting richer, the poor getting poorer?
Doesn’t he see oppressive regimes, fed by arms from profiteers?
Doesn’t he see false religions thriving as his people sit back?
Doesn’t he condemn unjust social and economic practices?
The God of the prophets is the same, yesterday, today and forever – Constant in his standards of justice and righteousness.
Constant in his condemnation and hatred of evil and judgement of the wicked.
Constant in his love towards all peoples and desire for their highest good.
Constant in mercy and forgiveness for those who honour him, repent of evil, and seek earnestly to live life according to his standards.
Let us pray
Lord of the prophets and of us all
Forgive us for when sin has not seemed important and has led us away from you.
Help us to return frequently to the foot of the cross, where we know you will meet us in our need of forgiveness and pour your love into our hearts.
Give us the desire to be ready to share what we know of your plans for the people with whom we come into contact this week.
May they too share the joy and hope and love of being your beloved child
AMEN