LESSON 8 - THE MESSIAH IN THE MINOR PROPHETS

THE MESSIAH IN THE MINOR PROPHETS

By “minor prophets” we do not mean that these prophets were of less importance or less powerful than the so-called major prophets. Rather we mean that these prophetical books of the Old Testament are shorter in length than the others.

PROPHETIC PERSPECTIVE

PROPHETIC PERSPECTIVE

The drawing is an attempt to represent how, from the prophet’s perspective, both comings of the Messiah were seen as one. The prophet could not see that there were many years between them.

THE MESSIAH KING OF RIGHTEOUSNESS – ZECHARIAH 9:9-10

Zechariah 9:9–10

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. 10 I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the warhorses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.

The New International Version. 2011.

  1. In verse 9 the prophet names the “Daughter of Zion” and the “Daughter of Jerusalem”. Who are these daughters?

  2. Verse 9 says that Jerusalem’s king is coming to them. Who is this king?

  3. Verse 9 says that “your king comes to you”. Point out how these words are a proclamation of the GOSPEL.

  4. What does the phrase “having salvation” mean?

  5. When this Messiah-King comes how will he be “gentle”?

  6. Why would the Messiah ride on a donkey?

  7. In verse 10 what will the Messiah “take away” (eliminate)?

  8. When this humble King comes, what will be his message to the people?

  9. What will be the extent of the rule of this Messiah King?

  10. What do we now know about the Messiah from this prophecy?

THE MESSENGER OF THE COVENANT - MALACHI 3:1-4

Malachi 3:1–4

“I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the LORD Almighty. 2 But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, 4 and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the LORD, as in days gone by, as in former years.

The New International Version. 2011.

  1. Who is the speaker in verse 1?

  2. Who is the “my messenger” (the Lord’s messenger”) in verse 1? (See Matthew 11:7-10)

  3. What would this messenger do? How would he do this?

  4. In verse 1 who is the second messenger, “the messenger of the covenant”?

  5. What covenant would this messenger proclaim and establish?

  6. In verse 1 we are told that the Messiah will come “suddenly”. (“suddenly the messenger of the covenant… will come”) How was the Messiah’s first coming “sudden”? How will the Messiah’s 2nd coming be “sudden”?

  7. In verse 1 the prophet says that the Messiah will come to “his temple”. (“the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple”) What temple is this?

  8. Verse 2 refers to a “day of his coming.” Is this a warning of a day of judgment or a promise of a day of cleansing?

  9. What is the purpose of all the refining and cleansing according to verses 3-4?

  10. What do we learn about the Messiah from this prophecy?

This concludes our study of the Messiah in the Prophets. Next week we will turn to the Old Testament section called “the Psalms” to begin exploring some of those prophecies.

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