Topic: Minor Prophets (Part II)—Joel & Obadiah, The 9th Century Prophets
Preacher: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 24th April 2021
Time: 2.00pm–6.00pm
Due to Covid-19 restrictions in Singapore, this seminar will be held via Zoom. Sign up here.
The “Minor Prophets” were all “writing prophets”. Two of such, namely Hosea and Amos, have been dealt with in Part I of this series by Pastor Koshy. By dating their ministries to the reigns of kings in which they served, Hosea and Amos must have prophesied during the 8th-century BC to the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Though neither Joel nor Obadiah dates his ministry to any specific king, biblical evidence shows that they ministered during the 9th-century BC (even earlier than Hosea and Amos) to the Southern Kingdom of Judah.
One clue is gleaned from Obadiah’s prediction of Edom’s destruction (vv. 1-9), the cause of which was Edom’s mockery and rejoicing over some military destruction upon Jerusalem (vv. 11-12). This alludes to the reign of the wicked king Jehoram of Judah (853-841 BC)—when the Philistines and Arabians “came up into Judah, and brake into it” (2 Chronicles 21:16-17), and “the Edomites revolted from under the dominion of Judah” (2 Chronicles 21:8).
Joel, likewise, was one of the earliest of the minor prophets, as evidenced by the enemies listed out for condemnation for their ill-treatment of Judah (3:4, 19). Noteworthily, not a word is mentioned of Assyria, Babylonia or Persia (respective dominant powers from 8th-century BC onwards). Furthermore, the prominent reference to priests and elders and temple services (1:9, 13-14; 2:15-17) fit in with the reign of the good king, Joash (835-796 BC)—when Jehoiada the godly high priest played an influential role in guiding the young Joash.
The messages of Joel and Obadiah, though first uttered almost 3,000 years ago, are timeless. They have great bearing on our times—all the more so as “the day of the LORD” draws ever nearer…