What a great study on the minor prophets. Not many studies have been done on them
And this one is one I would highly recommend. I am in a bible study group and I plan for us to go through this.
Thanks to the author, net galley, and the publisher for an advanced copy. I will be recommending it.

Let me start by saying that this book was difficult to rate. Scoring with my personal rating system forces me to take many things into consideration, but what made this book different was that I had to choose a reading perspective. I've studied the minor prophets. Although I'm not an expert, I am somewhat knowledgeable. I kept asking myself this question: Do I score from the perspective of a reader having previous knowledge or do I score as if I'm reading the Minor prophets for the first time? After much thought I chose to score as if I had previous knowledge. Why? Because it is the truth. I was given a free copy of this book for an honest review and I take that seriously. Once I had that thought the choice of perspective became clear.

Most people have heard of major prophets such as Elijah, Isaiah or Jeremiah, but Ms. Barba gives us reasons to study the minor, less well-known prophets. They also spoke the words of God to the people of their time and their words are as important and as relevant to us today as those of the Major prophets. According to the author, their words help us to make sense of our world and to help us to hear from God in our own challenges. They also give us hope. Her reasons are what make this book well written.

Through the minor prophets we get insights into rebellious hearts. Individuals and cities turned their back on God. Some repented and some suffered the consequences. Each chapter of Sovereign Hope gives a summary of circumstances, words which God gave the prophets to speak and the results of how the people responded. All of this is verified by Scripture references. With the lessons Ms. Barba asks questions that apply to our lives today. More importantly you are pointed to the Sovereignty of Almighty God and how His Son, Jesus, is important to all generations.

I enjoyed Sovereign Hope and would recommend it to anyone who wants a better understanding of the Old Testament prophets or to those who want a resource for a refreshing look into applications relevant today. Whether you have previous knowledge or are new to the subject this is a book worth reading and sharing.

Note: I received a copy of this book from BJU Press via NetGalley for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This is a very well written and insightful study into a part of the Bible that most people do not dig into. I enjoyed the read and learned many things along the way. I said I wouldn't suggest this to my students simply because they are a little young for a study like this, but I will highly recommend this book to all of my adult friends.

I chose to do a review of Claudia Barba's Sovereign Hope: A Study of the Minor Prophets. As I prepare for a Bible study on the book of Hosea, I was looking forward to using this as a resource.

Barba does an excellent job of presenting the central themes of each book of the Minor Prophets. She gives a brief overview of each book and highlights some things that can be applied to daily life. In each chapter, Barba poses several questions to guide the reader in their study and does a great job of incorporating supporting Scripture. If one is seeking a book to give main ideas an a general overview of each book of the Minor Prophets, this book is an excellent starting point.

Covering 12 books of the Bible in approximately 140 pages does not allow for much depth. I would have loved to see Barba cite her sources, in order to use them for further study.

Sovereign Hope by Claudia Barba is a book about the Minor Prophets and I just love it when an author chooses to take on something that is not often taken on. She’s upfront and comes across in a way that connects me to what I’m reading. You don’t have to wonder where she is coming from because she addresses her position right away. She brings about the facts she mentions in ways that challenge me to contemplate the Truth and if I’m lining up to it correctly. She equips the reader with nuggets to share. This book is a great reference for me after I have studied a book Inductively and I’m excited to have it in my library. I look forward to more from this author in the future.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.


***Also posted on CBD

This Bible study on the minor prophets by Claudia Barba is a welcome addition to the category of Bible studies for women. The author does an excellent job of making the minor prophets both understandable and also applicable to our lives today. This is a quality Bible study. It would be a great Bible study for an individual or class. I’m hoping Mrs. Barba will continue to publish more Bible studies like this one.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

4 stars
“Sovereign Hope: A Study in the Minor Prophets explores the lessons taught in the last twelve books of the Old Testament. Many of us are unfamiliar with what God has to teach us through the accounts of the Minor Prophets. “
Claudia Barba has down a fantastic job of working through each one of the 12 minor prophets. She has written a thoroughly researched and Biblically accurate book. I feel as if I learned so much more about the lives, the mistakes and the fellowship with God of each one of these prophets.
Far too often, I feel as if the minor prophets are neglected or deemed not as important due to their books of the Bible being smaller. I love that Ms. Barba expanded on each one of the books of the Bible and made it easily understandable for anyone.
I highly recommend this book.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and BJU Press. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #SoverignHope #NetGalley

This is a brilliant book for extended reading for higher level students. The book opens with an exploratory chapter regarding the benefits of studying the minor prophets; those that appear in the Old Testament and are often over looked in favour of others.
Then, those minor prophets are given their own chapter in which their part in the bible is contextualised in a clear way before passages are examined for meaning and truth.