Prophets in the Bible

• Prophets had one job: they brought the word of the Lord to God's people.

• Sometimes this would include foretelling a future event.

• Often it meant delivering God's word about a present-day event in the life of the people.

• Major Prophet - author of a long book. (Isaiah, Jeremiah, etc.)

• Minor Prophet - author of a short book. (Malachi is a minor prophet)

• There are other prophets who fall into neither of these categories, like Elijah and Elisha.

Nehemiah - the "Grover Cleveland" of Israel

• After coming to Judah as governor and rebuilding Jerusalem's walls, Nehemiah returns to Persia to resume his service in Artexerxes' court.

• In his absence, Judah backslides

• They had assumed that God would come quickly and restore Judah to prominence, and they began to doubt His promises when he didn't appear according to their timing.

• People are bringing second-rate sacrifices to the temple.

• The men begin to divorce their Jewish (God-fearing) wives to marry foreign women.

• The period between Nehemiah's two terms is a period of moral decline for Judah - this is the situation into which God sends Malachi.

Malachi - God's last prophet to Old Testament Israel

• Malachi comes bearing a tough message from the Lord - the Messiah is coming to judge the world, but he will begin with Judah.

• "See, I will send my messenger who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come," says the LORD Almighty. "But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner's fire or a launderer's soap."
  Malachi 3:1-2

• How should unlikely heroes prepare themselves for the Lord's coming? Obey his commands and trust his promises.

• "For you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings..."
  Malachi 4:2

As an Unlikely Hero, where can you speak a word from God to a person or situation in your life?