Minor Prophets 1

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Minor Prophets 1

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ISBN 978-1-61291-076-5

ISBN 978-1-61291-741-2 (ePub); ISBN 978-1-61291-742-9 (Kindle); ISBN 978-1-61291-743-6 (Apple)

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Along with all the volumes in the L IFE C HANGE series of Bible studies, this guide to the Minor Prophets shares common goals:

1. To provide you with a firm foundation of understanding, plus a thirst to return to the books of the Minor Prophets throughout your life.

2. To give you study patterns and skills that help you explore every part of the Bible.

3. To offer you historical background, word definitions, and explanation notes to aid your study.

4. To help you grasp as a whole the message of the Minor Prophets.

5. To teach you how to let Gods Word transform you into Christs image.

This guide includes twelve lessons that will take you chapter by chapter through the first six books of the Minor Prophets. Each lesson is designed to take from one to two hours of preparation to complete on your own. To benefit most from this time, heres a good way to begin your work on each lesson:

1. Pray for Gods help to keep you mentally alert and spiritually sensitive.

2. Read attentively the entire passage mentioned in the lessons title. (You may want to read the passage from two or more Bible versions perhaps at least once from a more literal translation such as the New International Version, English Standard Version, New American Standard Bible, or New King James Version and then once more in a paraphrase such as The Message or the New Living Translation.) Do your reading in an environment thats as free as possible from distractions. Allow your mind and heart to meditate on the words you encounter words that are Gods personal gift to you and to all His people.

After reading the passage, youre ready to dive into the numbered questions in this guide that make up the main portion of each lesson. Each of these questions is followed by blank space for writing your answers. (This act of writing your answers helps clarify your thinking and stimulates your mental engagement with the passage as well as your later recall.) Use extra paper or a notebook if the space for recording your answers seems too cramped. Continue through the questions in numbered order. If any question seems too difficult or unclear, just skip it and go on to the next.

Each of these questions will typically direct you back to the Minor Prophets to look again at a certain portion of the assigned passage for that lesson. (At this point, be sure to use a more literal Bible translation rather than a paraphrase.)

As you look closer at a passage, its helpful to approach it in this progression:

• Observe. What does the passage actually say? Ask God to help you see it clearly. Notice everything thats there.
• Interpret. What does the passage mean? Ask God to help you understand. And remember that any passages meaning is fundamentally determined by its context. So stay alert to all youll see about the setting and background of the Minor Prophets, and keep thinking of these books as a whole while you proceed through them chapter by chapter. Youll be progressively building up your insights and familiarity with what theyre all about.
• Apply. Keep asking yourself, How does this truth affect my life? (Pray for Gods help as you examine yourself in light of that truth and in light of His purpose for each passage.)

Try to consciously follow all three of these steps as you shape your written answer to each question in the lesson.

In addition to the regular numbered questions you see in this guide, each lesson also offers several optional questions or suggestions that appear in the margins. All of these will appear under one of three headings:

• Optional Application. These are suggested options for application. Consider these with prayerful sensitivity to the Lords guidance.
• For Thought and Discussion. Many of these questions address various ethical issues and other biblical principles that lead to a wide range of implications. They tend to be particularly suited for group discussion.
• For Further Study. These often include cross-references to other parts of the Bible that shed light on a topic in the lesson, plus questions that delve deeper into the passage.

(For additional help for more effective Bible study, refer to the Study Aids section starting on page .)

Dont let your study become an exercise in knowledge alone. Treat the passage as Gods Word and stay in dialogue with Him as you study. Pray, Lord, what do You want me to notice here? Father, why is this true? Lord, how does my life measure up to this?

Let biblical truth sink into your inner convictions so youll be increasingly able to act on this truth as a natural way of living.

Consider memorizing certain verses and passages you come across in your study, ones that particularly challenge or encourage you. To help with that, write down the words on a card to keep with you and set aside a few minutes each day to think about the passage. Recite it to yourself repeatedly, always thinking about its meaning. Return to it as often as you can for a brief review. Youll soon find the words coming to mind spontaneously, and theyll begin to affect your motives and actions.