Grumpy Old Men: Understanding the Minor Prophets

by Todd Pylant

The Bible promises us that the Minor Prophets are profitable to read. God will use them to teach us truth, convict us of our sins, train us in righteousness, and equip us for the good work He has created us to do. However, there is no denying the reality that the Minor Prophets are some of the hardest books of the Bible to both understand and to make profitable. This short introduction to the Minor Prophets will help you understand their message so that you can hear God speak to you today through the Minor Prophets. Grumpy Old Men looks at the historical setting of the Minor Prophets because God spoke in history and to history. Grumpy Old Men examines the primary messages that the Minor Prophets spoke as a group, but also introduces you to each of the Minor Prophets. Grumpy Old Men also explores one particular Minor Prophet, Micah, to demonstrate how God still speaks to His people today through these prophets of old. Grumpy Old Men will show you why you really need to read the Minor Prophets.

85 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 23, 2018

Reviews

[Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclaimer: Dr. Pylant has been my pastor and friend for a long time, but what follows is my honest assessment of his latest book. If you're like me, your knowledge of the Biblical books grouped as "the minor prophets" is spotty, probably consisting of familiarity with several verses. In this highly readable, easily accessible book, "Grumpy Old Men", Dr. Pylant seeks to correct that gap in our study. He presents a motivation for studying these short, oft-overlooked books, provides the historical context (a roughly 400 year period in the kingdoms of Israel and Judah), and introduces the themes of the minor prophets, both general (those all the prophets shared) and particular (specific themes and messages to each prophetic book.) While we most often think of these books as somewhat dreary, with messages of doom and gloom, Dr. Pylant notes the overall message of hope contained in many of them: that God's wrath does not last forever.

[James Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't Let the Title Fool You
Don't let the title fool you. Grumpy Old Men does not describe the Minor Prophets. In fact, Todd Pylant does an excellent job in describing the hope found in each of the messages of The Twelve. This book is not intended to be a thorough verse-by-verse commentary. Instead it is more of an overview of the historical context, life, ministry, and theme of each man's message. Still, the author does an excellent job of pointing out encouragement found in the Minor Prophets.