Written by Barry Cram

Hosea–Malachi: Twelve Timeless Voices

Group Member Book© 2009 Serendipity House

Published by Serendipity House PublishersNashville, Tennessee

All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,

including photocopying and recording, without express written permission of the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed to Serendipity House,

One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN 37234.

ISBN: 978-1-4158-6815-7Item 005242575

Dewey Decimal Classification: 224.9Subject Headings: BIBLE. O.T. MINOR PROPHETS

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Scriptures marked NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version, Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible

Society. Used by permission.

To purchase additional copies of this resource or other studies: ORDER ONLINE at www.SerendipityHouse.com; E-MAIL

orderentry@lifeway.com; WRITE Serendipity House, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN 37234; FAX (615) 251-5933; or CALL (800) 458-2772.

1-800-458-2772www.SerendipityHouse.com

Printed in the United States of America

SESSION 1No Small Thing: Beginning with Moses and the Prophets 9Luke 24:13-32; Matthew 22:37-40

SESSION 2Hosea: A Beauty to Be Rescued 17Hosea 1:2; 2:14-17; 3:1-2; 6:1-3; 11:1-4,8; 14:4

SESSION 3Amos: The Danger That Lies Ahead 25Amos 4:11-13; 6:1,8; 5:21-24; 9:11-15

SESSION 4Micah: A Brutal Betrayal 33Micah 2:1-3; 3:1-3; 4:2,10-12; 6:8; 7:18-20

SESSION 5Jonah: Unexpected Twists and Turns 41Jonah 1:1-3,12-17; 2:8-10; 3:6-10; 4:1-3

SESSION 6Nahum: Something Worth Fighting For 49Nahum 1:2-13; 2:10-13

SESSION 7Habakkuk: Glimpses of the Divine Intrigue 57Habakkuk 1:1-4,12-13; 2:1-3; 3:2,16-19

SESSION 8Zephaniah: The Remnants of a Lasting Romance 65Zephaniah 1:2-3,14-18; 2:3; 3:12-17

SESSION 9Joel: Paradise Will Be Restored 73Joel 2:12-13; 3:1-8,17-21

SESSION 10Obadiah: Forgiven But Not Forgotten 81Genesis 25:27-34; 33:3-11; Obadiah 1:1-3,12-15

SESSION 11Haggai: Adventure for Those Who Dare 89Haggai 1:1-15; 2:20-23

SESSION 12Zechariah: The Enemy Seeks to Destroy 97Zechariah 3:1-10; 6:9-13; 10:1-3; 14:3-7

SESSION 13Malachi: Our Hero Will Come 105Malachi 1:1-3,6-8,12-14; 2:17; 3:1,17; 4:1-5

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RContents

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Core Values

Community: The purpose of this curriculum is to build community within the body of believers around Jesus Christ.

Group Process: To build community, the curriculum must be designed to take a group through a step-by-step process of sharing your story with one another.

Interactive Bible Study: To share your “story,” the approach to Scripture in the curriculum needs to be open-ended and right-brained—to “level the playing field” and encourage everyone to share.

Developmental Stages: To provide a healthy program in the life cycle of a group, the curriculum needs to offer courses on three levels of commitment:

(1) Beginner Level—low-level entry, high structure, to level the playing field;

(2) Growth Level—deeper Bible study, flexible structure, to encourage group accountability

(3) Discipleship Level—in-depth Bible study, open structure, to move the group into high gear.

Target Audiences: To build community throughout the culture of the church, the curriculum needs to be flexible, adaptable, and transferable into the structure of the average church.

Mission: To expand the kingdom of God one person at a time by filling the “empty chair.” (We add an extra chair to each group session to remind us of our mission.)

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Group Covenant

It is important that your group covenant together, agreeing to live out important group values. Once these values are agreed upon, your group will be on its way to experiencing Christian community. It’s very important that your group discuss these values—preferably as you begin this study. The first session would be most appropriate. (Check the rules to which each member of your group agrees.)

x Priority: While you are in this course of study, you give the group meetings priority.

x Participation: Everyone is encouraged to participate and no one dominates.

x Respect: Everyone is given the right to his or her own opinion, and all questions are encouraged and respected.

x Confidentiality: Anything that is said in the meeting is never repeated outside the meeting.

x Life Change: We will regularly assess our own life-change goals and encourage one another in our pursuit of becoming more like Christ.

x Empty Chair: The group stays open to reaching new people at every meeting.

x Care and Support: Permission is given to call upon each other at any time, especially in times of crisis. The group will provide care for every member.

x Accountability: We agree to let the members of the group hold us accountable to the commitments we make in whatever loving ways we decide upon.

x Mission: We will do everything in our power to start a new group.x Ministry: Members of the group will encourage one another to

volunteer and serve in a ministry and to support missions by giving financially and/or personally serving.

Our best-selling Bible over the years has over 30,000 small group discussion questions that cover every passage of Scripture. Along with lessons on every page of Bible text, 60 felt-need, small-group courses are provided, as well as 16 topical courses and 200 Bible stories with boxed questionnaires. With its strong indexing, this is an unlimited source of Bible studies for small-group leaders and Sunday School teachers.

Hardcover 001249527 Leather 001249529

Serendipity bible for groupS (niv)

Emerging inside each of us is a unique work of art that reveals who we are and our vital role in the larger story. Canvas has been created to draw from deep within the stories God has given each of us, and to expose the beauty God is forging from the sum of our experiences. Using the power of story and art through DVDs and an Experience Guide for each group member, this small-group series brings a new multi-media dimension to Bible study. Canvas provides the context, the texture, and the materials for the journey. Through your story, your experiences, and the colors of your reality, God works to bring your role in the larger story to light.

Distortions Kit 005038463 Experience Guide 005038464Mystery Kit 005103004 Experience Guide 005103005Heart Kit 005038428 Experience Guide 005038429

CanvaSA DVD-driven small-group experience.

Other greatsmall-group experiences...

Something inside us yearns for more from life, God, and Bible study than we’ve experienced. Discovering truth through Bible study is more than breaking a verse down to its smallest parts and deconstructing a passage word-by-word. There is context and experience, mystery and story that all go into fully understanding the living Word of God. The essence of the whole is more than the sum of its parts. Serendipity acknowledges that story is the language of the heart, and, without it, we can miss the wonder and power of the message. MORE looks at the Bible and life within the context of the Larger Story—the eternity that God has written on our hearts. Dare to discover and experience more of life, more of God, and more of your role in the Grand Adventure!

Song of Songs: The Epic Romance 005038467 Mark: Beyond the Red Letters 005038468 Job: A Messy Faith 005038471 Colossians: Embrace the Mystery 005081528Ruth: Gleaning Hope 005189437

More.More depth, more meaning, more life.

Stories, great and small, share the same essential structure because every story we tell borrows its power from a Larger Story. What we sense stirring within is a heart that is made for a place in the Larger Story. It is no accident that great movies include a hero, a villain, a betrayal, a battle to fight, a romance, and a beauty to rescue. It is The Epic Story and it is truer than anything we know. Adventure awaits. Listen.

Discover an experience that guides you on a journey into the one great Epic in which the Bible is set. These fun and provocative studies explore four films, each with two small-group meetings, Dinner and a Movie (Week 1), Connecting the Dots (Week 2), and an Experience Guide that offers valuable insights.

Finding Jesus in the Movies 005038480Finding Redemption in the Movies 005038469Finding the Larger Story in Music 005117804

god and tHe artSWhere faith intersects life.

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No Small Thing: Beginning with Moses

and the ProphetsR

Text: Luke 24:13-32; Matthew 22:37-40

BIBLE STUDY . To recognize the importance of studying Hosea through Malachi—also known as the Minor Prophets

. To realize that Jesus brings meaning and understanding to the stories in the following sessions

. To remind us of the passionate heart of God for His people

LIFE CHANGE . To change the way we understand the Minor Prophets

. To motivate us to look for the thumbprint of God; to find Jesus in the details of life

. To help us fulfill the two greatest commandments

Icebreaker10 minutes

Depending on time, choose one or two questions, or answer all three. Go around the group on question 1 and let everyone share. Then go around again on questions 2 and 3.

1. What are your favorite movie themes?

OUR GOALS FOR THIS

SESSION ARE:

GATHERING: Form

horseshoe groups of 6–8.

Session

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2. Have you ever watched a great movie with a group of your friends, but only afterward found yourself in a discussion about what the movie “really meant”?

3. Why do you think we have those kinds of discussions? Is this what really sets great movies apart? Explain.

Bible Study30-40 minutes

The Scripture for this week: 13Now that same day two of them were on their way to a village called Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14Together they were discussing everything that had taken place. 15And while they were discussing and arguing, Jesus Himself came near and began to walk along with them. 16But they were prevented from recognizing Him.17Then He asked them, “What is this dispute that you’re having with each other as you are walking?” And they stopped walking and looked discouraged. 18The one named Cleopas answered Him, “Are You the only visitor in Jerusalem who doesn’t know the things that happened there in these days?” 19“What things?” He asked them. So they said to Him, “The things concerning Jesus the Nazarene, who was a Prophet powerful in action and speech before God and all the people, 20and how our chief priests and leaders handed Him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified Him. 21But we were hoping that He was the One who was about to redeem Israel. Besides all this, it’s the third day since these things happened. 22Moreover, some women from our group astounded us. They arrived early at the tomb, 23and when they didn’t find His body, they came and reported that they had seen a vision of angels who said He was alive. 24Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they didn’t see Him.” 25He said to them, “How unwise and slow you are to believe

RLEARNING FROM THE

BIBLE

LUkE 24:13-32

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A WORd FROM THE

LEAdER

Write your answers in the spaces

provided as the leader

teaches.

Use extra space to write what

God may be saying to you

from this story.

in your hearts all that the prophets have spoken! 26Didn’t the Messiah have to suffer these things and enter into His glory?” 27Then beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted for them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures. 28They came near the village where they were going, and He gave the impression that He was going farther. 29But they urged Him: “Stay with us, because it’s almost evening, and now the day is almost over.” So He went in to stay with them. 30It was as He reclined at the table with them that He took the bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him, but He disappeared from their sight. 32So they said to each other, “Weren’t our hearts ablaze within us while He was talking with us on the road and explaining the Scriptures to us?”

today’s session

1. Jesus is ______________ Himself into our _________________ today. (Luke 24:13-17)

Is it common for you to invite Jesus to participate with you in everyday life? What does that look like on a good day?

2. With the Law and all the _______________, Jesus weaves together the tapestry that allows us to see the Divine Narrative or ____________ _____________ concerning Himself. (Luke 24:25-27)

3. Our new _____________ long to be with Jesus and know the things of God—the _____________ of His love for us. (Luke 24:28-32)

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Remain in groups of

6-8 people, in a horseshoe

configuration.

What is God teaching you

from this story?

How do you best express to Jesus that you want to spend time with Him? What is your heart really saying?

4. Studying the ________________ shows us how to live for God—loving Him first and ____________ others. (Matthew 22:37-40)

learning from the story1. Your life is a small picture of what God is doing in this world.

What picture or story is your life portraying for God? Do you see it as significant?

2. What is keeping you from loving God with everything you’ve got? What is keeping you from loving others as yourself?

3. Is there any place or relationship where you are not fulfilling the second part of the Great Commandment?

4. Describe a time when you’ve been “slow of heart” to sense God at work.

5. If Jesus were to sum up your life as a Cliffs Notes®, what one or two statements would He say?

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1Remain in

groups of 6-8 people, in a

horseshoe configuration.

Caring Time10 minutes

This is the time to develop and express your caring for each other. Begin by discussing this question:

“How can I be more God-conscious in all I do—at work, at home, and at play?”

Pray about the things you shared as well as the concerns on the Prayer/Praise Report. Include prayer for the empty chair.

If you wish to pray silently, say “Amen” when you have finished your prayer so the next person will know when to start.

Reference NotesUse these notes to gain further understanding

of the text as you study on your own:

Luke 24:13-32—two of them. These may not have been two of the remaining eleven apostles, but two followers of Jesus who lived in nearby Jerusalem. They were likely returning home after the Passover feast. Emmaus. The site of this village is uncertain. As Jesus came up to the two, they were prevented from recognizing Him. Later on, they were able to see who He was through the breaking of the bread together (vv. 30-31). Cleopas. While this man was probably a figure Luke’s readers would know, his identity remains uncertain today. Are You the only visitor in Jerusalem …? The events that occurred, Jesus’ betrayal, trials and crucifixion so dominated their minds that they could not comprehend anyone not having heard of them. Cleopas spoke of the confusion that filled the minds of all Jesus’ followers. How could Jesus, who was shown by miracle after miracle to be a powerful prophet undoubtedly anointed by God, have met with such a seemingly meaningless death? a Prophet. These men had respect for Jesus as a man of God, but after the crucifixion they seemed reluctant to call Him

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the Messiah. to redeem Israel. To free the Jewish nation from bondage to Rome and establish the kingdom of God (1:68; 2:38; 21:28,31; Titus 2:14; 1 Peter 1:18). the third day. This could refer to the Jewish belief that after the third day the soul left the body or to Jesus’ statement that He would be raised to life on the third day (9:22). How unwise and slow you are. Jesus rebuked them for their lack of understanding about the Old Testament prophecies regarding the Messiah, and explained how these Scriptures foretold all that had taken place. Didn’t the Messiah have to suffer. The need for the Messiah to suffer was proclaimed in Isaiah 53. and enter into His glory? The messianic glory was a common expectation of the Jews, but His suffering was not. Moses and all the Prophets. This was a way of referring to all the Old Testament Scriptures (16:31). Jesus claims that all the Old Testament teachings about the Servant of the Lord, the Son of Man, the Son of David, and the Messiah apply to Him. It is these teachings taken collectively that explain who He is and what He came to do. He took the bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. While this is a simple enough description of how a meal would begin, it is probably meant to carry overtones of the Lord’s Supper (22:19). He disappeared. The Gospels’ accounts of the appearances of the resurrected Jesus indicate that while He was in His earthly form (vv. 39,42-43; Matthew 28:9), He was not restricted by that body (John 20:19).

Matthew 22:37-40—Love the Lord. This is part of the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-5). This passage, recited by pious Jews each morning and evening, captures what was essential about the people’s relationship to God.

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Reflecting on the TruthR

As you spend time with God this week use this as guide to reflect on the truth.

READINGS REFLECTIVE QUESTIONSMonday Matthew What was Jesus’ attitude toward 5:17-20 the Law and the Prophets? Is it easier for you to keep the “letter” of the law or the “spirit” of the law?

Tuesday Matthew How do you think the “Golden 7:12 Rule” is found in the Law? Wednesday Luke Do you consider yourself more 10:23-24 blessed than the Old Testament prophets? Why?

Thursday Luke God revealed so much to Jesus 18:31 through His study of the Proph- ets. Ask God to reveal new things to you as you begin your study.

Friday John Can anything good come out of 1:45-46 the Prophets? What good are you expecting to see here?

Saturday Acts 24: How can you untangle the old 14-16 from the new? How much of your faith in Jesus in rooted in the Old Testament prophets?

Sunday Hebrews How does God speak to you? 1:1-3

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