The prophet Amos was a native of Tekoa in the kingdom of Judah (Amos 1:1). Nevertheless, the place and main object of his ministry was the northern kingdom of Israel. He was a herdsman and a gatherer of sycamore fruit (7:14), lowly in the eyes of men. But God has chosen the weak of the world that He might shame the strong (1 Cor. 1:27). He chose a herdsman to be His prophet to warn Jeroboam, the son of Joash and the king of Israel, in the days of his great prosperity. Amos prophesied that when Christ comes again, the kingdom of Israel will be restored (Amos 9:11; Acts 15:16; 1:6).
Obadiah means “the servant of Jehovah.” 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. According to verses 11, 16, and 17-20, Obadiah ministered in Judah and addressed his prophecies to Judah.
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).
Micah the Morasthite prophesied in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah (Micah 1:1). He was a contemporary of Isaiah, Hosea (Isa. 1:1; Hosea 1:1), and possibly Amos. His name means “Who is like Jehovah?” In his book he pointed out repeatedly the transcendence and incomparableness of God’s holiness, righteousness, love, and mercy. At the end of his book, he said, “Who is a God like unto thee...?” (Micah 7:18). He prophesied concerning the birthplace of Christ when He became a man in time and the goings forth of His Godhead being from eternity (5:2), that He as the victorious Ruler would be the deliverance and peace of God’s people (5:2-9), that His kingdom would be above all nations, and that the people would flow unto it (4:1-5), as also prophesied by Isaiah (Isa. 2:2-4).
Nahum was an Elkoshite (Nahum 1:1). God gave him the vision specifically concerning the Assyrian Empire and the destruction of its capital Nineveh. Although he was an Israelite, he prophesied in the kingdom of Judah. His name means “consolation” or “revenge.” His prophetic speakings were full of both consolation and revenge. Toward the oppressed people, God comforted them through the prophets; toward the cruel and violent Assyria, God made revenge.
Nahum prophesied in the reign of Hezekiah king of Judah. At that time Assyria was the strongest nation and the most cruel aggressor, and all the Near Eastern nations were afraid of her. Judah was especially afraid of her, and having seen the fall of the kingdom of Israel into the hands of Assyria (720 B.C.) and Egypt’s defeat by Assyria (714 B.C., see Isa. 20), was constantly wary of this terrible enemy. Under this circumstance, Nahum rose up as a prophet to comfort God’s people, telling them not to fear and predicting the soon coming of God’s judgment upon Assyria.