Messages of the Prophets: Joel, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah

My wandering through the Prophets continues. Here are most of the rest of the pre-exilic prophets. 

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1. Joel

Is the locust plague literal? Is it an allegory for the invasion of the Assyrian armies that destroyed the northern kingdom in 722BC? They are perhaps symbolized as a locust invasion from the north (2:20). Both? 3:4-8 may be a later prose interpolation.

Joel 1-2 -- Description of the invasion and devastation. This is the Day of the Lord (2:11). This is God's judgment.

2:12 -- There's a sense that the Day will stop if Israel will return to the LORD. There is hope because God is gracious and compassionate, full of mercy (2:13).

2:28-32 -- God will pour out his Spirit on his people and bring them back to life again (hope)

3:2-3 -- God is against the nations that scattered Israel, traded boys for prostitutes and sold girls for wine. (oppression)

3:17 -- Against foreign invasion (oppression)

Summary

Joel would seem to be about hope in the midst of oppression because of judgment.

2. Obadiah

10 -- against the violence Edom had done against Israel (oppression)

3. Jonah

Jonah is about hope for salvation instead of judgment. It is about God's willingness to hear repentance and God's love even of foreigners.

2:8 -- against idols (love God)

4. Micah

1:7 -- Israel has served other gods (love God) and gathered from the wages of prostitutes.

2:1-2 -- Part of the evil for which Israel is being punished: coveting and stealing the fields of others, defrauding people (concrete wrongs to others)

3:1, 10 -- Embrace justice. Not bloodshed. Taking of bribes, doing wrong for money (3:11) 

Chapter 4 -- hope for restoration

4:6 -- God will gather the lame

Chapter 5 -- hope for the future, no more idols (5:13) or witchcraft (5:12) love God

6:6 -- sacrifices, who cares?

6:8 -- do justice and love mercy (social justice), not dishonest scales (6:11)

7:2 -- violence (concrete wrongs to others)

7:3 -- judges accept bribes (social justice)

7:8 -- hope for restoration (7:18-20)

Summary

Micah has a fair amount of hope but also predicts judgment on Israel for its wrongdoing. This wrongdoing includes a lot of injustice, from violence to concrete wrongs to others to the need for social justice. All these things are associated with the worship of the true God and not idols.