Linger in the Last Four: Why You Should Take a Closer Look at the Minor Prophets

If you ever have the chance to ask a room full of Gen Z and younger millennial women how they feel about overhead lighting, you’re sure to get a strong response. While their generations (or civilizations) are obviously not responsible for the wall sconce, their demographic has recently been driving an anti-overhead-lighting movement in favor of more ambient accent fixtures. 

As someone living in a condo without ceiling lights, this trend has worked in my favor. Not long ago, I installed smart bulbs in all of my living room lamps, scheduling them to turn on automatically at sunset and stay on until a few minutes before bed. The lighting is cozy when I’m home and the blinds are closed—but nothing startles me like walking down the sidewalk after dark, turning the corner toward my condo, and realizing I left every last blind open. 

It’s my home—I know what’s in there. But the light exposes everything. It shows the charming details I love and the disorganized corners I’d rather keep in the shadows.

Of course, our homes aren’t the only things we prefer to view in a more gentle light. If you’ve ever leaned into a brightly lit makeup mirror, flipped down your car visor in broad daylight, or accidentally opened your front-facing camera under fluorescent lights, you know the feeling. In those harsh-light moments, the closer we look, the less we like what we see.

This preference can follow us into our Bible reading too. Some portions of Scripture seem to naturally have a softer focus—the Psalms, of course; the familiar passages of Genesis; the wisdom of Proverbs; and the stories of women like Hannah, Ruth, and Esther. But other parts of the Bible, especially the last four prophetic books in the Old Testament, can leave us reaching for a dimmer switch. 

We’re comfortable appreciating them from a distance, trusting that they belong in God’s Word without looking too closely. But have you ever wondered why? Perhaps we’re afraid we won’t understand what we find—or worse, we’re afraid of what we will discover: that the God we encounter is different from the One we thought we knew.

But God’s Word and its depiction of the Lord Himself doesn’t depend on flattering light. Its beauty holds up under scrutiny—even in the often-neglected last four books of the Old Testament: Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. The more we lean in and the closer we look, the more clearly we will see the character that makes Him worthy of our trust.

What Keeps Us at a Distance

The reality is that, even as Christian women who are familiar with Scripture, we’re often more than okay with leaving certain corners of the Bible dimly lit. So what is behind our reluctance to draw near to the Lord through this section of His Word?

Here are three possible explanations. 

1. “I’ve never been able to understand these books.” 

Many of us are willing to wrestle with a lot of different feelings, but we’re not willing to sit with the discomfort of feeling dumb or confused. We want to open the Bible, read the introduction to the book we’re in, and instantly understand what’s happening. When we feel lost by the end of the first verse, we think, This isn’t for me. Time to flip to the Gospels.

Instead of turning the page, give yourself permission to be a beginner. You don’t have to instantly be able to decode every detail you come across. The unfamiliar names, historical references, and vivid symbols will require patience, but they have much to show us about the God we love.

Think of entering a house you’ve never visited before, with just light in the entryway to welcome you inside. You wouldn’t expect to know your way around immediately. You’d take your time, look around, and gradually discover how the rooms connect. Approach these books with a similar curiosity, and ask the Lord to help you as you make your way forward. 

• Learn the house’s history. Before exploring, ask where this book belongs in Israel’s timeline and the larger story of Scripture. Consider using the introductory pages of a study Bible, a commentary, or an online overview (such as this one from The Gospel Coalition) to help you get your bearings. 

Zephaniah spoke before Judah’s exile to Babylon, warning that judgment and devastation were imminent but promising restoration. Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi spoke after the return, as God’s people faced the work of rebuilding and their continuing need for repentance. Returning home had not brought the fullness of all God had promised; the prophets called the people to obey God as they looked forward to the Messiah.

• Notice the layout. What structures, words, and themes are prominent? Zephaniah repeatedly returns to the “day of the LORD.” Haggai repeats the command to “consider your ways.” Zechariah begins with a series of night visions before moving to a series of longer messages. Malachi unfolds through a series of disputes in which God makes a statement, the people question it, and then God offers the last word. Recognizing these patterns helps you find your way through passages that initially feel unfamiliar.

• Look for family heirlooms. These books contain reminders of what God has already said and done: His covenants, the exodus, the temple, and what He’d spoken through other prophets. Look up cross-references in your Bible to follow those connections, and notice how each book carries earlier promises forward. 

• Get to know the One who welcomes you. A home reveals something about the person who lives there. As you read, pay attention to what these books reveal about God. What does He love? What does He oppose? What does He promise, and what does He ask of His people? Let those questions guide you when the details feel overwhelming. You can grow in your relationship with Him even while you’re still finding your way around.

Give yourself time to get used to the new places. You may need to sit for a long time, rereading each book again and again, highlighting key words, writing questions in the margins, and taking time to track down the answers you discover along the way. Keep coming back. The longer you linger, the more you’ll notice—and the places which once made you feel lost will start to feel more like home.

2. “These books don’t feel relevant to my daily faith and life.”

Often, If we have thirty quiet minutes and a choice between studying Zechariah’s night visions and reading a chapter in Philippians, the familiar New Testament passage feels like the place to go. With that choice, we’ll find encouragement and a clear application before our coffee gets cold—a quick and easy message we can carry with us the rest of our day. 

But books like the minor prophets have plenty to say about the way we live. Zephaniah confronts our complacency (Zeph. 1:12). Haggai exposes our priorities (Hag. 1:2–9). Zechariah challenges how we treat others (Zech. 7:9–12), and Malachi confronts our halfhearted worship, not allowing us to give God only what costs us a little (Mal. 1:6–14). The rooms in this “house” may be unfamiliar, but they expose remarkably relatable habits. 

As we spend time in these books, trace their promises, recognize recurring themes, and notice how familiar passages—especially those in the Gospels—take on deeper meaning. Zephaniah speaks of the day when the longed-for Messiah, King Jesus, will be among His people (Zeph 3:15). In the New Testament, when Jesus went to the temple, He foreshadowed the end-of-days prophecy in Haggai 2:6–9, where the Lord says, “I will fill this house with glory.” Zechariah’s messianic theme is unavoidable, as one scholar notes: 

Indeed it seems to be the special aim and mission of Zechariah to condense and concentrate in small compass, and in his own peculiar terse style, almost all that has been revealed to the ‘former prophets’ about the person and mission of Messiah—about His Divine and yet truly human character, and of His sufferings and of the glory that should follow.¹

And Malachi points forward with the promise, “See, I am going to send my messenger” (Mal. 3:1), a verse Matthew 11:10 quotes about John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Messiah.

3. “If I study these books, what if I don’t like the God I discover?” 

What happens if you turn on the lights, take a closer look, and find a God who seems harsher and more judgmental than the one you thought you knew? That can be our fear when it comes to reading the Old Testament prophets, but the God of the Bible is consistent and unchanging. The same God whose love radiates throughout the New Testament is present in these pages as well—and to skim through them is to miss some of the most captivating descriptions of His character:

• “The LORD your God is among you,” Zephaniah says, “He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will be quiet in his love. He will delight in you with singing” (Zeph. 3:17). 
• “Then Haggai, the LORD’s messenger, delivered the LORD’s message to the people: ‘I am with you—this is the LORD’s declaration’” (Hag. 1:13).
• In Zechariah, “the angel of the LORD spoke to those standing before him, ‘Take off his filthy clothes!’ Then he said to him, ‘See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with festive robes’” (Zech. 3:4).
• The Lord says in Malachi, “‘They will be mine . . . my own possession on the day I am preparing. I will have compassion on them as a man has compassion on his son who serves him’” (Mal. 3:17). 

These promises don’t erase the warnings in the books, because the same God who delights in His people also judges sin—but both reveal His perfect character. We see this clearly in the cross, when the promised Messiah bore the judgment of our sins so that all who trust in Him could be forgiven and brought near. We ought to linger longer in these Old Testament passages, praising God that the grace once hoped for has been given to us in Christ.

A Light to Wait By

These four little books are lamps left burning as the Old Testament ends. The biblical story moves toward centuries of prophetic silence, but Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi leave God’s people with light to wait by—and the warm assurance that their God is still present, still faithful, and still at work. 

That assurance is ours today, too. These books point us toward Jesus, the Light of the World, who has come to dwell among us and will come again. So ask the Lord to turn on the lights and illuminate His Word as you read, for there is so much more of His goodness here to see. 

¹ David Baron, Commentary on Zechariah: His Visions and Prophecies [London: Morgan and Scott, 1918], 5–6).