This study is part 4 of our study of the twelve Minor Prophets. Minor not because they are of minor importance, but rather minor because they are shorter than other books of prophecy like Isaiah and Jeremiah. We will also take our first look at the Psalms.

Zechariah

⁃ We see that when God pushes in - there's pushback from the enemy, but there is also another reaction and that is when the enemy pushes back, God pushes back even harder. It doesn't mean everything will go well, it does mean that the Lord gets the final victory.

⁃ The Lord calls Zechariah in late 520 BC. He is given prophetic word for the people in his day but also clear dramatic predictive prophecies that point to the coming of Jesus 500 years later.

⁃ Zechariah is a contemporary of Haggai

⁃ He's called as a Prophet and Priest

⁃ Shares Messianic and Apocalyptic message

⁃ Speaks remarkable prophecies of Jesus' first coming

⁃ The book ends by pointing to a glorious future - giving hope - because in the end God wins!

A word to Zerubbabel is that we are to do things in God's power and God's way. Not by our own strength and power but in the Spirit's strength and power alone.

Pastor helps us see the book of Zechariah as God's preview to what is to come: The Branch, the King, and what He will be like.

Pastor also spends considerable time exploring the prophetic words about Jesus in Zechariah and showing how Jesus fits the prophetic word that's spoken there.

Zechariah gives us insight into God the Father's plan - a plan of Grace.

Malachi

⁃ The last of the written prophets

⁃ Active during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah

⁃ Prophesied ca 470 or 430 BC

⁃ His name means "My messenger"

⁃ Malachi's message is a call to us to honor God and not to give God our leftovers! God wants our firstfruits and He wants us to worship Him with our whole hearts. God deserves our all.

⁃ Malachi also shares the One who is promised, the One who is prophesied, is coming soon.

⁃ Malachi opens with a plea from God to us to receive His love and that His name will be great not only among the Jewish people but also among the Gentiles - All nations!

⁃ Malachi also prophecies that one like Elijah would come before the Promised One comes. This "Elijah" is John the Baptist. The Promised One is Jesus - the Promised Savior.

⁃ Note: Malachi is the ending of the books of the Prophets in the Hebrew Bible. (Nevi'im)

Pastor ties what Malachi says to Jesus' Transfiguration in Luke 9:28-36. And ties several other pieces of prophecy together.

Psalms Pastor introduces the Psalms and will continue for several more weeks exploring the Psalms

⁃ Pronunciation: sahm

⁃ Antiquity of Tehilim - the Book of Psalms

⁃ Superscriptions (cf. 2 Samuel 22:1; Isaiah 38:8 and Habbakuk 3:1) These superscriptions give us insight to the psalm and to who wrote a particular psalm.

⁃ Ancient technical terms, eg "selah" are found throughout the Psalms. Selah appears 71 times in psalms, but we do not know what it means. The guess is that it is suggesting a time of reflection and quiet.

⁃ The psalms are filled with raw emotion.

⁃ They can be broken down into 2 Categories

⁃ Petitions (pleas/complaints)

⁃ Praises (hymns/thanksgiving)

Join us next week our continued study of the Psalms.

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