THE PROPHETIC WORD (4)

“God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the PROPHETS, has in these days spoken to us by His Son” – Hebrews 1:1-2a

God spoke the PROPHETIC WORD through an array of Vessels that all pointed to Jesus Christ: “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the PROPHETS, has in these days spoken to us by His Son, whom he has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds” (Heb.1:1-2). God left clues of His invisible qualities in the universe (Rom.1:20). He also reveals part of His Will in the human conscience, such that pagans, without biblical revelation, “by nature do the things required in the Law...” (Rom.2: 14-15). However, His full revelation is in His Word: “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope” (Rom.15:4). Jesus Christ is the Focal Point of Biblical Revelation.

To Jesus the prophets and apostles bear witness: “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me” (Jh.5:39). Moses and all the Prophets tell of the Messiah’s sufferings and Glory (Lk.24: 25-27). These included nonwriting prophets, such as Elijah and Elisha, whose words and actions were recorded by others; and the writing prophets, classified as major (Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel) and minor (Hosea through to Malachi). The latter are termed “minor” only because of the comparative brevity of their writing. In actuality, they deal with some very major themes.

All of the prophets constitute an integral part of the revelational process whose Climax is Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh (Jh.1:14; Heb.1: 1-2). They prepared the way for the WAY, summoning people to repentance and announcing the advent of the Redeemer. The apostles affirmed Jesus as the Messiah of whom the prophets spoke – how His atoning death and mighty resurrection fulfilled their prophecies (Acts 2: 22-36; 1 Cor.15: 3-4). The prophets were not revelational robots. The Holy Spirit did not obliterate their personalities or render them unmindful of their surrounding conditions. Yet, no prophetic word originated from fleshly imagination (2 Pet.1:21). Understanding the Prophetic Vessels and Voices of Old is therefore for our present good (2Tim.3: 16-17).

The Minor Prophetic Voices, for examples, present unique Portraits of Jesus, namely:

Hosea – Love Story of the Bridegroom (Hos.3).

Joel, Prophet of Pentecost – The Baptizer with the Holy Spirit (Joel 2: 28-32; Acts 2).

Amos – the Burden Bearer (Amos 8:8; Mt.27: 45-46).

Obadiah – The Mighty Saviour.

Jonah – The Forgiving God of the Reluctant Missionary (Jon.1:17; Mt.12:40).

Micah – The Mesenger with Beautiful Feet (Mic.5:2; Mt.2: 1-1-2).

Nahum – The Avenger of God’s Elect.

Habakkuk – The Great Evangelist, Crying for Revival (Hab.3:3).

Zephaniah – The Restorer of the Remnant.

Haggai – The Cleansing Fountain (Hag.2: 6-9).

Zechariah – The Pierced Son (Zec.12;10; Jh.19:34-37).

Malachi – The Son of Righteousness (Mal.4:5; Mt.3: 1-2).