A. The writer(s), the place, and the time: [Joel was the son of Pethuel (Joel 1:1). His name means “Jehovah is God.”] This book was written in Judah, probably between 870 B.C. and 865 B.C.
B. The subject: repentance and calling upon the name of the Lord bringing in salvation and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
C. The background: Through Moses and Solomon, God mentioned the plague of locusts, but His people didn’t listen. Now through Joel, God warned them again.
D. The central thought: The judgment of God will come soon. If any one of the people of God will repent and turn back to God, he will receive God’s grace and love.
E. The general sketch: Joel prophesied that God would judge His people because their heart had turned away from God and they had committed sins. Locusts and their larvae would eat up their vegetation. The locusts also signified the armies of the nations that would attack the holy land. If the people would repent and call upon the name of the Lord, He would bless them. He even prophesied about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost and the war of Armageddon.
F. The sections: 1) the plague of locusts (ch. 1), 2) the day of Jehovah (ch. 2), and 3) Israel receiving blessing (ch. 3).
A. The writer(s), the place, and the time: [The prophet Amos was a native of Tekoa in the kingdom of Judah (Amos 1:1).] He wrote this book about 787 B.C. in Bethel.
B. The subject: the judgment of God bringing in Christ to restore the kingdom.
C. The background: The king of Israel, Jeroboam, the son of Joash, was successful politically and militarily. He recovered land for Israel, yet he failed in bringing the people back to God. The people were idolatrous and sinful; thus, Amos was raised up by God to prophesy to Jeroboam.
D. The central thought: Amos had a burden to deliver to the Israelites, during their era of greatest prosperity, a serious message of warning—the judgment of God. In this book, his pointing out of the iniquities of the nation is equivalent to his judgment of the nation. The judgment of the sins of individuals will be before the throne, but the judgment of the sins of nations takes place in this age.
E. The general sketch: God wanted to judge the six nations surrounding Judah and Israel—Syria, Philistia, Phoenicia, Edom, Ammon, and Moab. He also wanted to judge the nations of Judah and Israel. Therefore, Amos prophesied to rebuke and to warn. Like other books of prophecy, regardless of the severe rebuking and the horrible judgment, at the end, there will be a bright future awaiting the children of God. The Lord promised that their kingdom will be restored, prosperous, and established forever.
F. The sections: 1) judgment on the surrounding nations (1:1—2:3), 2) judgment on Judah and Israel (2:4-16), 3) the controversy between God and the house of Jacob (3:1—9:10), and 4) the prosperity of the kingdom of David (9:11-15).
A. The writer(s), the place, and the time: [Obadiah means “the servant of Jehovah.”] This book was probably written in Judah about 880 B.C.
B. The subject: judgment on Edom, the brother and enemy of the whole house of Israel.
C. The background: Edom is the descendant of Esau, the older brother of Israel. They did not allow Moses and the children of Israel to pass through their land (Num. 20:14-21). They were the most cruel enemies. They even aided other enemies and rejoiced when Jerusalem was destroyed. That is why the Lord wanted to destroy Edom.
D. The central thought: the judgment on Edom, the proud, exalted nation that was always persecuting God’s people. God wanted to speak for His own people and carry out His righteous judgment according to their work.
E. The general sketch: [The book of Obadiah is the shortest book of the Old Testament, yet its content is very important. It pronounces the future and end of Edom, Israel’s enemy for generations. In name the Edomites were Israel’s brothers, but in reality they were Israel’s archenemies, who were constantly trying to destroy God’s chosen people.]
F. The sections: 1) the shame of Edom (vv. 1-9), 2) the sins of Edom (vv. 10-14), 3) the day of Jehovah (vv. 15-16), and 4) the destiny of Edom (vv. 17-21).
A. The writer(s), the place, and the time: [The prophet Jonah, the son of Amittai, was of Gath-hepher (Jonah 1:1; 2 Kings 14:25). Jonah means “a dove,” signifying that God’s commission to Jonah was to fly out like a dove to preach the gospel of peace.
Jonah typifies Christ in two aspects:
First, the death of Christ, as seen in Matthew 12:40: “For as Jonah was in the belly of the sea monster three days and three nights, so shall the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.”
Second, the ministry of Christ, as shown in Matthew 12:41: “Behold, a greater than Jonah is here.” Jonah was sent to Nineveh to preach the word of God; Christ was sent to the world as the Word of God (John 1:1). The Ninevites repented because they heard the preaching of the word of God; yet those during the time of the Lord Jesus would not repent, even though they had the very Word of God among them. Hence, the Ninevites will stand up in the judgment with that generation and will condemn it (Matt. 12:41).]
B. The subject: The loving God is ready to forgive and to save all those who repent in response to the preaching of the incarnated, crucified, and resurrected Christ.
C. The background: Nineveh was a wicked city. It was the capital of Assyria. God wanted to destroy Nineveh. He still loved His creatures. Therefore, He sent Jonah to preach to them to give them one more chance to repent. Jonah not only typified Christ, he also typified God’s chosen people.
D. The central thought: There are three important messages in this book: 1) “Or is He the God of Jews only? Is He not of the nations also? Yes, also of the nations” (Rom. 3:29); 2) “God is love” “who desires all men to be saved,” “not intending any to perish” (1 John 4:8; 1 Tim. 2:4; 2 Pet. 3:9); and 3) “Salvation is of Jehovah” (2:9).
E. The general sketch: This book records a lot of God’s deeds. 1) Jehovah called Jonah to go to Nineveh to preach (1:1). 2) Jehovah sent a great wind upon the sea (1:4). 3) God caused the people in the boat to cast lots, and He caused the lot to fall upon Jonah (1:7). 4) God caused the sea to grow tempestuous against them, that they were unable to get back to the land (1:13). 5) God caused the sea to cease from its raging (1:15). 6) Jehovah prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah (1:17). 7) God caused Jonah to repent and pray to Him in the fish’s belly (2:1). 8) God answered Jonah’s prayer by speaking to the fish and causing it to vomit Jonah out upon the dry land (2:10). 9) The word of Jehovah came to Jonah the second time (3:1). 10) God caused the people of Ninevah to repent (3:5). 11) God did not perform the evil which He had said He would do to them (3:10). 12) Jehovah asked Jonah a question (4:4). 13) Jehovah God prepared a gourd to be a shade for Jonah (4:6). 14) God prepared a worm to cause the gourd to wither (4:7). 15) God prepared the sun to beat upon Jonah’s head (4:8). 16) God prepared a sultry east wind to cause Jonah to faint (4:8). 17) Jehovah questioned Jonah a second time (4:9). 18) God gave an explanation (4:10-11).
Why did Jonah try to run away? It is not because of cowardice. Jonah was a very patriotic prophet. Deep down, he was acutely aware that Assyria was the most powerful country at that time, and that one day Israel would be destroyed by Assyria. He only wanted to see God judging Assyria for her sin. He did not want to see Assyria repenting and causing God to have mercy on her. Therefore, despite all the danger involved, he fled to Tarshish to hide from God.
F. The sections: 1) Jonah’s disobedience (ch. 1), 2) Jonah’s repentance (ch. 2), 3) Jonah’s preaching (ch. 3), and 4) Jonah’s opinion (ch. 4).