Many people skim over the twelve Minor Prophets at the end of the Old Testament, assuming that their words are too obscure to understand. That's tragic, because both Jesus and the writers of the New Testament see them as pivotal. If we want to understand the Gospel then we need to understand how the prophets prepared Israel for its arrival. The Straight to the Heart series of devotional commentaries allows people to get to grips with each book of the Bible one bite at a time. In part one of the minor prophets we study Amos and Hosea, the two prophets sent by God to confront the northern kingdom of Israel. In part two, Jonah and Nahum, two prophets who were sent to offer the same choice between blessing and judgment to the pagan superpower Assyria. In part three, Joel, Micah, Zephaniah and Habakkuk, four prophets that the Lord sent to warn the southern kingdom of Judah. In part four, Obadiah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi, four prophets that God inspired after the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile to Babylon, and who spoke glorious promises about a new hope for God's people. Get ready to hear God speak to you as you read these twelve short books of prophecy. The arrival of Jesus to be our Saviour has amplified the urgent choice that they offer us. God still warns us: Blessing or curse - you decide. There will be 25 volumes in all. Although the tone is light, the text is full of useful application and backed by substantial scholarship.
