Bonus: Intro to the Minor Prophets

Hey, Port City family and friends.

It's Isaac here with Pastor Tanner.

We're going to be talking a little bit about this new

serving series that our church is going to be starting in the

spring called Turn Back My People, which is going to be

walking through the minor profits.

So, Pastor T, how are you doing? I'm doing great, man.

I'm here with you. We got a Bible open.

We got coffee. We're talking Word of God, Minor

prophets, poor city, family and friends.

City of Norfolk. What could be better?

Let's get it. All right, so to kind of kick

off the conversation, why don't you just tell us what the minor

prophets are? Yeah.

I got you. So they refer to 12 books in the

Old Testament that are shorter. They used to go all together

called the Book of the 12 and they're not called the minor

prophets because they're less important.

They're not minor in significance.

They're minor in length in comparison to the major

prophets, which are Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, which are

very long, Daniel, those guys. So they're they're super

important in the life of Israel and they're contemporaries of

those major prophets. They just are straight up

shorter. And it covers the time period of

like 850 to 400 BC, give or take.

That's super helpful, super helpful.

So I don't know about you, but when I reflect on the minor

prophets and just my Bible reading in general, I realized

that I haven't read them a lot. And do you think that's a common

thing for most Christians? And if so, why don't we read the

minor Prophets a lot? Yeah, I definitely agree.

That was my experience for a long time.

I think the two big reasons I'll see in myself and others, You

know, maybe you relate to our ignorance and intimidation.

And by ignorance, I just mean just straight up, we don't

really get what's going on in them.

Like the typical Bible in a year, kind of reading

experiences. Like we come out hot, we're

reading Genesis, we're reading Exodus.

We, you know, we're getting through those stories.

Maybe we're struggling and Leviticus or Numbers or

whatever. We kind of get Joshua.

We struggle at the end of Joshua.

We like Samuel and after David and Samuel, they're sort of just

a, a Cliff we fall off, you know, like we don't understand

the books of Kings and Chronicles.

And in a lot of ways, those prophetic books are like next to

parallel with the Kings and Chronicles timeline.

And so because there's such a, a gap in our understanding of the

history and the story and where it fits in the Bible, we're just

intimidated. So there's some dope one liners

from the prophets that we know, but we don't really get what's

going on. We're just kind of we're just

ignorant. And that ignorance does lead to

secondly, intimidation. I think anytime something's

written more poetically, we're, we're intimidated by that.

You know, in our, in our culture, we're just very linear.

We're very, you know, we want quick, fast, easy to understand

things. And poetry just kind of by

design hits you at an angle, not straight up.

And it just makes you think, it makes you ponder, it gives you

images. And so, and then God's just

intensity in it. And we're like, whoa.

And like, how does that apply to me today?

Like does this apply to me today?

So you Add all that together and it's just sort of, I'm just

going to read Exodus, you know what I mean?

So yeah. So true.

So kind of set the stage for us a little bit as as we begin to

think about this series and the minor prophets, what do we need

to go to know to kind of grasp what is happening in these

books? Yeah, for sure.

I would say three things. First, a story.

Second, a timeline. Third, a lens.

A story, a timeline, a lens. Let's start with a story.

I think the Old Testament story, the more we can just really

articulate that to ourselves and be able to say it out loud, like

what is the Old Testament story in 60 seconds or less, the

better. So here it is.

God created humanity, fell into sin.

God wanted everybody back to himself.

So to get everybody back, he chooses one family through whom

he will showcase His goodness through.

He buys them out of slavery in Egypt to be His people, in His

place with His law. His goal was to get to the

nations, for them to come to Him through His people.

So nations come to him through them, but they blew it.

They did not showcase His goodness to the nations.

Instead, they conformed to the nations, became like them.

And so the result of that is for God's people to go into exile,

to be scattered amongst the nations.

And the Old Testament ends with some fragments of good things,

some hope, but just just a broken picture of what God

envisioned his people being. And we are left waiting for a

better Redeemer. And that story I just shared,

many of us understand that, that we fell on the sin, the exodus,

you know, God bought his people. We get the the law of the

templates, all that, but we just struggle from there.

And I think what we've got to understand is like the whole

point of the Exodus was to bring his people out.

And once they're free, they get the law, right?

Like now that you're mine and I own you, you're my possession.

I bought you with my blood, with the blood of a lamb.

Hey, Passover. And here's the law, Sinai,

right? So now that you've got the law,

I'm a put you in my place. I'm going to drive the nation's

out, put you in my land. And with my law, you will

showcase who I am, the freedom in me, the the value I have, the

value of human life, sanctity, all these things, dignity.

And you're going to do it so well that the nations will flock

to you. They will come to get in on the

action of Yahweh being their God through you.

But all the while God is dripping warnings.

And warnings are so kind. That's part of what we have to

understand about the prophetic genres.

Every good parent warrants their kids don't run in the road.

You know, like that's loving, right?

And all along think Leviticus 18, go read Deuteronomy 2728.

God is just dripping. If you fail in this vocation of

being my people in my place, if you become like the nation's,

the land is going to spit you out.

Like the idea is like I'm driving the nation's out so you

can be distinct and different. So the nation's will come to you

there. But if you become the nation's

there, you got to go. You know, that's sort of the,

the, the tone of it all. And over time, that's exactly

what happened. Obviously there were people in

Israel who loved the Lord, but by and large, as represented by

the kings on down, the people of God were just corrupt.

They forgot God's law. I mean, there's just so many

instances by the time you get to Josiah, they found a book like

the priests find the, the, the Bible, right?

They find the law and they go, we found this book and they're

like, they don't even know what it is.

You know, like that's how far things have fallen.

So that's the story we need. Second, we need a timeline.

So timeline wise, there's some big anchors.

So I'll talk around it and then give you the anchors.

The end you know, post David Solomon reigns over United

Kingdom and he's he's coming off the scene.

He's on the scene around 950, OK, when his son takes over

Rehoboam. He does a terrible job.

He's a harsh ruler. He tries to flex his strength

and the Kingdom splits, OK, it splits around 9:30 and it splits

into Israel and Judah. I always remember I comes before

J. So Israel's up north, Judah's

down South, OK, it splits. And from there, that is, by the

way, why first Kings and second Kings is structured different

than one of two Chronicles. The kings are following both.

They're following Israel and Judah.

OK. That's why there's so many kings

and there's so many during the reign of, during the reign of,

during the reign of. But then in Chronicles, it's

just following Judah. It's just highlighting the

Davidic line which goes through Judah and the Book of Kings is,

is following both like the, the whole story of all the people of

God. And So what you got to remember

is that it splits around 9:30 in 722 BC.

The Assyrians take over Israel in the north, OK.

And then Judah falls about 140 years later in 586 BC to the

Babylonians. OK, Then you've got around 400.

There's some slight renewal revival type stuff when the

Persians are raining. And that's where you've got to

think books like Ezra, Nehemiah, that kind of stuff, temple

rebuilding. And then after 400, it's just

silence till Jesus. OK, so let me recap United

Kingdom 930 from Solomon Falls. OK, we split Israel, Judah.

Then you've got Israel in the north falls and 7:22 to the

Assyrians. Then you've got Judah falls to

the Babylonians at 586, slight revival stuff around 400 in the

Persians. And then it's ghost silence for

400 years. So that's the timeline.

We got the story, we got the timeline.

Third, we need a lens. Now that you know the story in

the timeline, the the prophetic books take on a whole different

shape. OK, what happens is they're all

written at different times. So some of them are pre Assyrian

fall. So it's basically they're

written to both the north and the South begging them to

change. Some are written in between

Assyrian takeover and Babylonian.

Some are written post Babylonian.

But the point of all of them God is just begging them to turn

back to him, if you will. Just remember that I delivered

you from slavery if you will. Just be my possession.

Be my people. And what you'll find in the

prophetic books is that there being His people like belonging

to him, loving him is so synonymous with them.

Imaging him like you will be full of good works.

You will be justice will roll down from the hills like Martin

Luther King got that from you know, got that from the

prophetic books. Amen.

Somebody justice will roll down like there's this, this idea

that love, kindness, serving your neighbor, love of neighbor,

like giving your life away. The whole point of the law,

right? Love the Lord your God and your

neighbor as yourself. All of that will flow when your

heart belongs to Yahweh. So God can do both in those

books and he's going to warn in some of the books he's talking

to the bad guys. Because what God's going to do

is he's going to use bad guys to get his people out of his own

land. But then he's going to look at

the bad guys doing it and say, y'all are arrogant.

Y'all treat my people with flippancy.

Like don't think your day ain't coming like you.

You are my vessel in this instance.

But don't get it twisted, you know what I mean.

And so each of the books is written from a slightly

different angle. Some of them are more warning,

some of them are more comfort directly.

But it's this two sided coin of hope warning comfort that that

you see all throughout. But what God is doing is he is

begging his people to turn back to them.

And through it all, we see this already not yet lens of like

much of this had to do with actual land.

It had to do with actual time, but even when they're coming

back to the land around 400 and rebuild the temple, the people

on the spot are like, yo, this is wack compared to the first

temple. So they knew this can't be it.

It's pointing forward to some. This has got to happen again

somehow. And it points to Jesus in a lot

of ways. It points to even like his

second return where he's going to make all things new.

So there's a sense in which all the prophetic books have had

partial fulfillment, but they haven't had their full

fulfillment in Christ and in the the renewal of all things.

So they still very much have a lot to say to the New Testament

church. That's amazing.

So as we kind of wrap up our time together, what are some

practical application points that our listeners can take from

this just in general when it comes to the minor prophets?

Yeah, first to the non followers of Jesus, you know, whether

you're listening to this podcast or as we're we're inviting

friends. Here's what I what I hope

they're hearing. I hope they hear an intensity of

passion from God to know them and love them and for them to

belong to him and for him to showcase his goodness through

you like that's why God made you like our culture in a good way

is really into like justice and love and like all these concepts

being full of good works. Love of neighbor, y'all, all of

that flows from the God who made us, the God of the minor

prophets, the God who is warning us, reminding us that we are not

God. Like it is loving of God to tell

us we ain't God, you know, and to tell us one day we are going

to die and like all things will be made new.

And like, that's comforting in one sense.

It's also like sobering, you know?

So like the prophetic books are bringing reality in.

It's the future being pulled into the present, right?

And so God is the ultimate everything.

He's the ultimate judge. He's the ultimate king.

He is more loving than us. You know, like we crave a judge

with authority who is kind and good, and that's who God is.

So yeah, there's an intensity in these books and there's warnings

like any good father would do. But I pray that non followers of

Jesus would know that, like, you want this to be true and you

want the God with this kind of power, this kind of like

intensity and passionate zeal to be good.

And you can trust him and you can.

And I pray that you will turn to him.

So the followers of Jesus. Here's what I'd say think the

intention of the books is that the people of God would become,

as Jesus would say, salt and light, right that we would be

the city on a hill. Christ is the ultimate one who

is the son of God, right? He is the the corporate son.

He is he is the truer and greater Israel.

He has accomplished all things. It is finished, but in his life

death, burial, resurrection, ascension and sending of the

Spirit. Hello is to fill the church so

that we might be those full of good works like God purchased a

people for himself who are zealous for good works.

Amen. Titus 2 and the idea is that the

more we love Christ, give our lives over to him.

Romans 12/1 and two, put our lives on the altar.

We're going to bear fruit. We're going to see people come

to Christ. We're going to give our lives

away. We're going to give money away.

We're going to see the Kingdom come on earth as it is in

heaven. So I think in a lot of ways the

goal of the series for the believer is just to do some

serious self reflection, you know, like we don't have to

wonder what God would say to the church today.

Like a lot of times people are like, what would God, you know,

if Paul wrote a letter today? I'm like, just read Paul's

letters, right, Exactly. Just read the amount of problems

like God's heart, his passion for for justice and love of

neighbors. The same it's always been.

I think in a lot of ways what we're going to find is like the

major audience of these books is the people of God.

You know, like he's going to have some hard things to say to

lostness and you know, about judgment, all that stuff.

But it starts with the people of God, man.

Like it starts with us looking in the mirror and realizing like

we have become so worldly, like just like them, we're not

ministering to the nations, we're kind of conforming to

them, right? So it's like for us, as a Hosea

would say, is break up the fallow ground, like go to your

hearts, which is rock hard clay, where we've just conformed and

conformed and conformed where our screen time, our dollars,

our calendar, our everything is the exact same as every

American. And we just got to do some, some

self reflection where it's like, OK, where is God calling me not

to earn his love? We got to avoid legalism.

Amen. But I think we're quick to play

the like, I don't want to be a legalist card.

And in so doing, we actually kind of avoid like good passion

and intensity and zeal. So we want to pursue zeal, but

not in a like look at me, look at what I can do.

I think this is about giving our hearts to the Lord.

Think this about repentance. It's about fasting morning.

You know, kind of that James Ford spirit of like tear your

hearts. You know what I mean.

And from that I will flow God love for our neighbor through US

and God will own our hearts more.

That's what I'm hoping. That's so good.

And so just practically speaking, I know even when I

listen to things like this or start thinking about a sermon

series, the next thing that goes through my mind is what are some

helpful tools is I'm trying to engage these books of the Bible

on my own. That might be helpful.

So do you have any anything you would suggest to our listeners?

Yeah, no doubt I resonate with that a lot.

I'm using my study Bibles on the series more than ever, and I've

got several like study Bibles do different things, you know, But

man, it's OK to read a translation that poetically

makes a little more sense to you.

You know, like I'm, I'm digging my NLT study Bible.

It's got great charts of timeline and themes and the

language pops for me a little bit.

So try different translations, try study Bibles are great.

They kind of give you your bearings quickly.

Bible Project is awesome. They're book overviews.

Just go watch like and that's what the book of Hosea is all

about. Like that's what they do.

You know what I mean? It's so good.

You're like, I get it now. And then you go to read it and I

don't get it. Tim, can you explain it again?

That is OK. And and then Streetlights is

great. They've got their own app or you

can listen to them on Spotify. It's just hearing it, you know,

hearing this genre is unique because the language is intense.

They, you know, with their tone, I think they do a good job and

there's a beat in the background.

I just listen to them. I'll repeat honestly.

But in general, it's just permission that you're going to

be a little intimidated even after listening to this.

And that's OK. I'm still intimidated.

I'm like, when was this one written again?

Like what did that mean? What does he mean by, you know,

they'll say things you're like, what is, what is, who is Edom or

what is the, you know, Ephraim, like who is that?

And it's OK to like look down at your Bible or look something up,

like that's totally fine. So just feel permission to need

to keep learning and and you know, keep the training wheels

on at times and that's totally OK.

And every time you read it and come back to it and hear the

preaching, the word and that, you're going to get more and

more confident. So good, so good.

Well, Pastor T, thank you so much for your time and church

family and friends. We hope this conversation has

been helpful. We look forward to get to

getting into the Minor Prophets with you starting January 25th.

Can't wait, see y'all soon.