All the students must turn around and run back to the starting line, without getting tagged by adult. Their unique vocation allowed them to authoritatively speak on Gods behalf. Students often ask about the difference between major and minor. Copyright 2002-2023 Got Questions Ministries. But yeah. More likely the difference between the pre-classical and classical prophets is the literary form in which the prophetic traditions have reached us. 2:00 means take 2 steps, etc, Before any student reaches the end, yell out "REPENT!". https://pinterest.com/bibleask, Share this video with a friend: But the only reason some are called major, like Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, those are considered more the major profits, while Malachi, Obadiah, those ones are considered minor. What is the difference between the major prophets and minor prophets? What is meant by The Minor Prophets? This expression is not an inspired one, but is one invented by Bible students in order to differentiate among all the prophets used by God. The terms "major" and "minor" are indicators of length, not importance. Web. You can also make prayer requests and our team would pray for you. What is the difference between minor and major prophets? Ask them what they think the answer may be. But above all, follow up with the student the next week or at the next opportunity and continue your discussion with your newfound information. The person of Jesus fulfilled all the prophecies in the Old Testament concerning the Messiah and he took the judgment we deserve for our sins on himself. Some were called to bring messages from God to other countries. The Minor Prophets are Hosea , Joel, Amos, Obadiah , Jonah, Micah, Nahum , Habakkuk , Zephaniah , Haggai , Zechariah, and Malachi . 3 TvahRJKiq3c"xhbwNK{* We recommend they do this after you teach the story, however, and certainly not as a substitute for you teaching a holistic story. More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free! There is also some debate about when various books were written. Video Answers What is the difference between minor and major prophets? What to do if you don't know the answer? 0000011074 00000 n clap and pat a rhythm and have students listen and copy the rhythm. HdTM0+F{i"%0pZUn,n FhG;XF7|n\TLPq The Minor Prophets are also sometimes called The Twelve. Students must listen carefully to find the clock. When they wore it as clothing and placed ashes on their head, they were intentionally making themselves uncomfortable to show their deep inner discomfort - either in mourning or because they were deeply sorry for their sins. 0000003889 00000 n Have students draw pictures of cars, houses, ways of living, 100 years from now. This lesson is about the many prophets written about in the Old Testament. The major and minor prophets are collectively known in the Hebrew Bible as the Latter Prophets (or Writing Prophets, because they authored their own works). If you feel an answer is not 100% Bible based, then leave a comment, and we'll be sure to review it. 0000005396 00000 n There are four major prophets listed in the Bible: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. Unfortunately, they didn't repent and the judgment he foretold came true. Children naturally have questions. What we have learned through the progress of revelation is that there are actually long periods of time between some of the future events predicted by the prophets. He too, like Isaiah, received his prophetic writings and teachings from God through a vision. Many know that Daniels place in King Nebuchadnezzars palace wasnt free from controversy, from his choice of diet to his refusal of worshipping the king, which led to a night in the lions den. 0000006102 00000 n These questions help the children think about how this story applies to their own life today. Isaiah, Micah, Nahum, Habbakkuk, Zephaniah and Jeremiah wrote to warn Judah. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your device and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. Named the weeping prophet, Jeremiah writes full expression of his emotions at the difficulties and struggles of the world. After we started the web site, I converted all these notes to HTML. What are the Dead Sea Scrolls and why are they important? Amos, Hosea and Joel wrote to the northern kingdom. 0000003250 00000 n The short way would only appeal to our intellect. They also reminded the people of the results of disobedience. For full episode: What is the basic timeline of the Old Testament. Answer: There is no difference between a Major and a Minor Prophet. We discover Gods first mention of a prophet in Deuteronomy 18:18-19. My order of presentation is that of one of my professors and is certainly not inspired. But that is because they dont believe the Bible is the inspired word of God which contains the promises of God. 0000007550 00000 n It is a little confusing because in the Bible the prophets are arranged according to the Major and Minor prophetic books. Hn0~ Also, if you are not using a storybook Bible, you can use this summary as an outline for your own teaching in class. [1], Most Protestant Bibles include only the Book of Isaiah, the Book of Jeremiah, the Book of Lamentations, the Book of Ezekiel, and the Book of Daniel. The Minor Prophets are described as "minor" because their books are shorter (although Hosea and Zechariah are almost as long as Daniel) and the content is more narrowly focused. Hosea is known for being a personal object lesson for Israel as God called him to marry an unfaithful woman to show Israel what they were doing to him. This list details all the major and minor Old Testament prophets, though not necessarily in perfect chronological order. Also, another theme was that a coming Messiah would soon deliver them. 1. The Mosaic covenant of Deuteronomy follows the same structure of the Susserain-Vassal Treaty which was popular in that day between a king or lord and his subjects. 0000001977 00000 n Remember, Edom was the name given to Esau, Jacob's twin brother. God had made promises to Abraham that he would make his seed into a great nation, that he would give him the land of Israel and that through his seed the nations of the world would be blessed. The only significant difference which sets the major Prophets apart from the minor Prophets is the length of their scrolls. Exchange (Leiden, Netherlands) 41.4 (2012): 335-51. https://twitter.com/bibleask But the individuals welfare and the nations immediate welfare depended on the peoples faithfulness. We will learn about some of the more famous stories in the book Daniel in coming lessons. Do you think that their writings are obscure and difficult to understand? >yx2ZC}9sGQ94{8>B YVaP}-t8b3PIKY/2G*uWxI]+1b S4!:{jn!p(,1wx 7Kt$\y\go= h2WZMU*s"nw>X\nZ*Ecq_&+0 ^,rda:}%a[0:T~]`i%npI>I&PUCe{JGG!C`b>oqyC/Lo,|?}xF#Q$[G>U4Sr7;yRa ddBh%z Q+l|"-H0o@t=. . The Minor Prophets are also sometimes called The Twelve. To understand these concepts deeper, you have to first understand intervals.An interval is the space between two notes. https://youtu.be/I8ZOHNrXOP8, Would you like to have your question answered live? Very little revelation was given about the future. He was called to prophesy against the city of Ninevah. Scripture for Kids to Read Aloud Jeremiah 1:1-10; Isaiah 53:4-6; Obadiah 1. And honestly, the only reason its kind of labeled that way, its not labeled that way in the Bible. HtMr1N!8I*)4DIk>p$+$]@Sk>XI(}x KZnvyJ.zvys(rF tqvQ~&`28pEA/a2T/ZgbK'/c) EBz`pc^KFr~N'G]\U#cSF,InS{E5cd What are the Apocrypha / Deuterocanonical books? This was written by Baruch ben Neriah, a scribe of Jeremiah. Both are related. What do you think about when you think of a prophet? Also, feel free to share your own faith experiences with them (being careful not to delve into "adult" struggles, like marriage, sexual sin, etc). In the Bible, there are four major prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. We are also going to see if we can break the literary code so we will understand why they said what they did and so we can appreciate some of the beauty in the way they said it. Friend and advisor to King David. Some prophets overlap, lived in different areas, or the chronology cannot be estimated with any accuracy. Material taken from books in print are noted in the footnotes. Some prophets overlap, lived in different areas, or the chronology cannot be estimated with any accuracy. h/f,om%'|d)+sDbC*.RViIXUk The Bible doesnt explain how the word of the Lord came to a prophet, however, there are a number of examples where the Lord revealed his will through visions aside from an audible or internal voice (1 Samuel 3:1,15; 2 Samuel 7:17; Isaiah 1:1; Ezekiel 11:24) or dreams (Numbers 12:6). Joel was a prophet to Judah and warned them that they must repent or face judgment. And I think weve had somebody ask this before and its totally common question because its like why are some prophets considered major and why are some considered minor? Learning about the major and minor prophets may sound like a reference to the major and minor leagues of baseball, but thats where the similarities end. Several days before you teach, choose the activities you want to do with your class. 26 0 obj << /Linearized 1 /O 28 /H [ 1240 346 ] /L 104387 /E 74666 /N 5 /T 103749 >> endobj xref 26 40 0000000016 00000 n (2021, September 3). If you would like to have your students read out of the Bible themselves, these are good verses to do it. Theres no Bible verse that says this Prophet was major, this Prophet was minor. God just uses a format that they were familiar with to give them the law. OOPS! Modern scholars often claim that these positive messages are later additions by some scribe. prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel and the twelve minor prophets), and the New Testament prophets actually involved God's messengers speaking the word of God to a 0000009749 00000 n The Minor Prophets are Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi. Scripture mentions them, but their records are not found in the Old Testament. Even today, we can see their prophecies as resourceful advice to guide us in living in a fallen world, knowing that what these prophets spoke of centuries ago is still as pertinent today as it was years ago. K}Ei(+dij Lamentations is sort of like a long Psalm by Jeremiah about just one topic: Jerusalem and Judah's sin. There are many prophecies in Isaiah related to the coming Messiah (Isaiah 53:4-6). In the Bible, there were categories of prophets listed as major and minor, which is based on the length of their books in Gods Word. (& [O( &VN943UA(cyULO(a#bA_!WYkdH-g ~:`+E:HoqQ(K$b(d:ov0|EKf4|K# m`26'xvRNhc1W'?w5m%%0x67{b=+$ 2[\RQ|j6_sIU+RVgjA#F/,. All rights reserved. Just because someone was mentioned in scripture, it does not mean they were a prophet, per se. Bible Based.We believe in solo-scriptura. Tell them to draw a picture for their parents. Do your research, ask questions, and pray for Gods guidance on whether to believe what is being shared with you or not. These men were just as significant as the Major Prophets despite the title of minor. He is the Technical Director for bible.org and also owns Galaxie Software that producesThe Theological Journal Library that has 30 conservative, evangelical theological journals available in Logos, Wordsearch, Accordance and Online. Wq1qa4'+4aftG |^PohSD{8yF-ElGR Lessons from OT Books of Prophecy Page 3 REVIEW QUESTIONS True or False ____1. Dan 9: and the 70th week), but sometimes they were just claiming and proclaiming the promises of God to Abraham and David that he would make the nation great, send the Messiah and bring the Gentiles into the kingdom. Who Were the Major and Minor Prophets in the Bible? But when the Bible was first written, it was just written. Prophets were traditionalists who proclaimed a doom and gloom message. The Minor Prophets of the Bible are shorter books with more specific content, compared to the broader subjects of the Major Prophets. %PDF-1.4 They are recognized voices from the Bible, sharing with readers both in their time and today what Gods judgment would be like for those who disregard Him. 0000006806 00000 n What Does It Really Mean That Your Body Is a Temple? Jeremiah was a "doom and gloom" prophet who warned Judah of judgment if they did not repent. A graduate of Stetson University with a bachelor's in communications, Blair previously worked as a writer/editor for several local magazines in the Central Florida area, including Celebration Independent and Lake Magazine and currently writes for the Southwest Orlando Bulletin. It Is So Painful to Care: How Do I Conquer Apathy? Feel free to give out rewards to the students who successfully memorize the Scripture. Speaker 1 And it's just the length of the books. The difference is related to the length of the book rather than the importance of the message that the prophet told. People did that later. Ezekiel is remembered because his calling to be a prophet happened while in exile from King Nebuchadnezzar. 1 Kings 12:22, 1 Chronicles 3:22, 2 Chronicles 11:2, 2 Chronicles 12:5, 7, 2 Chronicles 12:15, Nehemiah 3:29. These questions can help you ensure your students understood the story. }JOLk^&qQ4IL1 30 Verses to Reflect on in the Book of Hebrews. Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. The major theme of the prophets was that the people of Israel needed to repent or face judgment. What message do you think God wanted to send to Israel and Judah? Perhaps one of the most famous passages is Micah 6:8 which says, He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? Be sensitive to the age of your children and tell the story in a way they can understand. They say that it doesnt make sense that some guy would come along and pronounce judgment and then turn right around and promise deliverance. The prophets also proclaimed a salvation message. https://instagram/bibleask Have you ever had to take a message from someone for your parents? The Major and Minor Prophets give us some of the richest glimpses and foreshadowing of Christ that we see in the entire Old Testament. The Net Pastors Journal, Eng. All rights reserved. Heavenly Father blesses all his posterity: biological and adopted. Scripture is sometimes definitive about who was a prophet. Ezekiel was instructed by God to warn the people of Judah that Jerusalem was to fall because of their behavior and that they were not to mourn her fall. I believe thats one, Timothy 316, if Im not mistaken, all Scripture is written is inspired. Using your finger, paint ashes onto the person's head. It is good to use an adult as the tagger because it allows for you to choose whom to tag out. You are worshipping other gods, spending all your money on yourself, being dishonest in the marketplace, etc. It is important to understand what is going on in the nations history, which enemy nations are threatening Israels borders (Assyria, Babylon, etc. All of these books are traditionally regarded as authored by a prophet such as Jeremiah, Isaiah, Daniel, and Ezekiel. I think it makes it more convicting. In fact the prophets are not primarily interested in the future. Signs to look for are available to identify if the modern-day prophets are prophets from God. One of the postexilic prophet's jobs was to point out that Yahweh was superior and the only reason Israel was defeated was because Yahweh was disciplining them. Zechariah prophesied to those who were returning to Judah from exile in Babylon. Learn Religions, Sep. 3, 2021, learnreligions.com/major-and-minor-prophets-old-testament-4048175. torah . Get Your Bible Minute in Your Inbox Every Morning. We always encourage you to use a Bible storybook if you have one available (here is a list of ones we know about). Salvation portrayala description, often idealized and in hyperbolic terms, of God's future blessings on his people (Amos 9:13). Warning of impending judgment because of the nations sinfulness, They use introductory or concluding formula"This is what the Lord says". Use reinforcement activities to help your students remember the story. And sometimes, we don't know the answer! I guess the Bible would be a lot shorter. Isaiah's 66 chapters is of significant importance, just as Obadiah's 1 chapter is of significant importance. We typically include a memory verse every 4 or 5 lessons, so you can work for several weeks on the same verse. In fact, unless you understand Dueteronomy 28-30 you cannot appreciate or perhaps even understand what the prophets are talking about. The major prophets fought to help people return to God, and modern-day prophets should have the same mission in mind also. Hosea called Israel back to God. Get our Question of the Week delivered right to your inbox! tBYv-0QMprU9Y_XXhZQ}- %s:Fm8#kxVu/,%RDK3[rN2 Quora User. The list is roughly chronological. The Minor Prophets include Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. The answer is yes, there are proclaimed prophets around the world today, but are they truly appointed by God like the major prophets? We have already learned about several prophets - Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, and Jonah to name a few. In fact, there is an entire section of the Old Testament that we refer to as the "Prophets." 0000008498 00000 n How Is Harry Potter a Literary Christ Figure? 0000060864 00000 n The Book of Jeremiah, Book of Isaiah, and the Book of Ezekiel are included among the Nevi'im. 0000038941 00000 n A Survey of the Old Testament by Paul Benware. "Prediction and Power: Prophets and Prophecy in the Old Testament and Zimbabwean Christianity." Micah warned Judah to turn back to God or face judgment. xZN0|}#ac[Z98;.|gJ{CR} G7:K['MQ0MDE[S3N)A@^^rOBqS>E&e#\D'-\v)QDg~.q'gN\J Obadiah is just one chapter long and is a prophecy against the nation of Edom because they were hostile to Jacob's descendants. 0000009051 00000 n Heather is a former national award-winning journalist and is the author of Mama Needs a Time Out and Lets Talk About Prayer. Do the Apocryphal / Deuterocanonical books belong in the Bible? You can find her at www.heatherriggleman.com. You might consider trying out crafts to make sure you know how to do them before you get to class. Old Testament Abstracts, 43(2), 483498. While it is a good thing that kids get used to reading out loud and reading the Bible for themselves, elementary-aged children do not typically have the reading skills necessary to be able both read out loud and comprehend at the same time. B. 0000002402 00000 n Many of their works are literary masterpieces. Hosea is a good example. Have the children write their message on the picture, or if they are not able, write it for them and sign their name. stream Nahum prophesied against Ninevah as well, but this time after the Assyrians (Ninevah was in the Assyrian empire) had captured the Northern Kingdom of Israel. The theme of sackcloth and ashes as a symbol of mourning or repentance is seen many times in the prophets. What Is the Meaning of Psalm 91 and Why Is it Popular? "List of Major and Minor Prophets of the Old Testament." Amos was a shepherd who was called by God to tell Israel to stop mistreating the poor among them. In fact, these books give us some of the richest glimpses and foreshadowing of Christ that we see in the entire Old Testament. Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription. Ezekiel prophesied to Judah during their time in exile in Babylon. Let us read Dueteronomy 28:1-6 and 15-18, 48-50 and 30:15-20. "List of Major and Minor Prophets of the Old Testament." The prophets would usually give a message of doom and gloom and then tell the people about the light at the end of the tunnel to give them hope. How did America become a super power in such a short time? These activities are not just crafts and games. 0000003829 00000 n However, there is valuable truth to be gleaned from each book. Prophets do some foretelling. For most of the prophets, their eschatology (or view of the future) was divided into now and then. As we explore the teachings of these godly men, we will learn what God did in their lives to impact not only their ministries but also their work for the kingdom of God, then and today. Because their prophetic writings can be hard to interpret at times, some people consider books written by the prophets (both major and minor) as the least desirable to read. Learn Religions. Before we go more in-depth, here is a list of the major and minor prophets mentioned in the Bible: The Four Major Prophets:Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, and Daniel, The Twelve Minor Prophets:Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, The word prophet defines someone who gives the declarations of God. 0000010457 00000 n Subscribe to the CompellingTruth.org Newsletter: What are the Major Prophets in the Bible? We just learned about Jonah in the last lesson. Also, it is difficult for the other students to really understand what they are hearing. The divine inspiration and instruction of the Old Testament prophets are affirmed in the New Testament, 2 Peter 1:20-21: No prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophets own interpretation of things. The writings of the prophets discuss how important it is for Christian people to change their ways to avoid Gods wrath, shining more of a light on the carnal intentions of people. She previously worked for eight years with Xulon Press as an editor. Ask the child to say more about their question. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. 25}, "|z~C]32VE The Book of Jeremiah was written as a message to the Jews in exile in Babylon, explaining the disaster of exile as God's response to Israel's pagan worship. Their revelations can only be attributed to a higher power (God in this situation) giving these insights to be used to share with others about future events. It wouldn't be very interesting to read either. The term "Major" refers to the length of each book, not their importance. It is understood from all versions of the books that during this time, the four major prophets were chosen by God to be spoken to and speak the divine word to the people.[3]. The 12 books of the Minor Prophets include 67 chapters. A second use relates to scales (modes). The exilic prophets wrote to assure the people that God would restore them to the land. Have them pass the message on fairly quickly. They proclaimed God's message with style, and if we can uncover and decipher their style, it makes the reading that much more enjoyable. For younger students, you might write down their question on a piece of paper and send it home with them. They might have been tempted to think that because Babylonia had defeated Israel, the Babylonian gods were superior to Yahweh.