The MAJOR & MINOR Prophets - The 16 Writing Prophets Of The Hebrew Canon

of 739-710 B.C. 3 This is determined by Micah 1:1 dating his ministry in the reigns of three Judean kings: Jothan (750-731 B.C.), Ahaz (731-715 B.C.) and Hezekiah (715-686 B.C.). During this same part of the latter eighth century B.C., his older contemporary Isaiah was prophesying in Jerusalem; Hosea had probably prophesied in northern Israel slightly earlier, and was probably still active (although older than Micah). 2 Kings 15:32-20:21 and 2 Chronicles 27:1-32:33 gives a JRRG EDFNJURXQG IRU 0LFDK·V PLQLVWU\ He probably died during the administration of Hezekiah. These years of the eighth century were earthshaking in their significance. The year 735 B.C. saw the Syro-Ephraimitic war as Pekah and Rezin threatened to depose Ahaz for his refusal to join them in a revolt against Assyria. They saw the Assyrian machine of aggression dismember Damascus and Israel in stages that led to the downfall of Samaria and to the exile of the northern tribes in 721 B.C. Ahaz maintained his state at the price of paying heavy tribute to Assyria, but in 711 B.C. the Philistine states were in a state of revolt which Sargon ruthlessly put down (Isa. 20). All of the dangers came to a climax in 701 B.C. when Hezekiah raised a revolt that brought Sennacherib west to demand his tribute and the surrender of Jerusalem. Siege was laid to Lachish which is near Moresheth-Gath. The city fell. 4 Sennacherib boasted that he took forty-six RI +H]HNLDK·V ZDOOHG FLWLHV DQG VKXW WKH NLQJ up like a bird in a cage in his city, that is, Jerusalem. Of course, God intervened at the last moment and saved Jerusalem, but the Assyrians conveniently chose to forget that. Sadly, the object of our LQWHUHVW 0LFDK·V farming territory was devastated. Interesting Comment by J. Sidlow Baxter ´,W LV JRRG WR NQRZ WKDW LQ WKH -XGDHDQ [sic] capital, long ago, the great prophet Isaiah had such a trusty comrade and such a doughty fellow- FKDPSLRQ RI WUXWK DV ¶0LFDK WKH 0RUDVWKLWH · :LWK WKH ILUVW IHZ VWURNHV RI KLV SHQ 0LFDK WHOOV XV WKDW KH SURSKHVLHG ¶LQ WKH GD\V RI -RWKDP $KD] DQG +H]HNLDK NLQJV RI -XGDK· ZKLFK means that he and Isaiah wrought contemporaneously (compare Isa 1.I). Isaiah, however, who was the elder of the two, not only continued with Micah through these three reigns, but commenced his ministry even earlier, in the reign of Uzziah; so that he had already been championing the cause of Jehovah for some years when the prophetic mantle fell on Micah. Although Isaiah was a man of the schools and Micah a man of the fields, these two giants of faith would no doubt have their heart-to-heart consultations on the stirring doings of those eventful days; and we are not surprised, therefore, that in their writings certain sentiments, H[SUHVVLRQV DQG KLVWRULFDO UHIHUHQFHV DUH FRPPRQ WR WKHP ERWK 3UREDEO\ ,VDLDK·V PL nistry was more to the upper classes, and Mi FDK·V PRUH WR WKH ORZHU ² with which by descent his sympathies ZHUH WKH PRUH FORVHO\ FRQQHFWHG µ 5 Three Amazing Prophecies by Micah 1. Micah gave a prophecy 100 years before the time of Jeremiah that saved his life! During the time of Micah, the great danger was Assyria, and no one was worried about Babylon, an inconsequential nation of that time. Micah, however, foretold that the Babylonians would destroy 3 J. Barton Payne, Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy, p. 424 . 4 Jack P. Lewis, The Minor Prophets, pp. 32-33. 5 J. Sidlow Baxter, Explore the Book, Vol. 4, p. 187. Jack P. Lewis gives this interesting synopsis of the general scene:

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