Prophecy

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Prophecy
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What is a prophet?

• Nabi
• Spokesman for God
• Mouthpiece of God
• Several varieties popular in ancient times

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Nabi

• Moses, Aaron, Samuel, Nathan- ex
• Also holy men- trancelike states-kings yes men
• Concern for true versus false prophets

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Speaking vs. Writing prophets

• Speaking
• Moses, Aaron, Samuel, Nathan, Elijah, Elisha
• Did not write their own works- others report
  about them
• Writing
• Those who write their own words down

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Major and Minor prophets

• Not a distinction of value
• Major One Whole Scroll
• Minor 12 on 1 scroll
• Has to do with length of writing

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Characteristics of the Prophets

• Receive an irresistible call from God
• Some are reluctant, all are seized
• Seized, however, in different ways
• Dreams, visions, hearing voice, internal
  inspiration
• Feel compelled to speak in different ways
• Thus says the Lord
• Dramatizing
• Seemingly outrageous actions
• Used whatever means to get audiences attention
• Stand alone and unpopular with establishment

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Key Characteristics

• The prophets message had both a present and
  future dimension
• Predicted the near future- not the distant future
• One could not always tell who was a true prophet

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Main Teachings of the Prophets

• There is only one God- Yahweh
• Other gods dont exist
• The one God is holy and demands that we renounce
  sin
• Covenent lovepath to holiness
• True worship demands justice
• There will be a remnant and a Messiah

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Northern Prophets- 9th century BC

• Elijah
• Major importance
• Name means My God is Yahweh
• Lived under reign of Ahab in north
• Ahab married to Jezebel
• Baal worship
• Jez gets Ahab to build altar and temple to Baal
  in Samaria

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Elijah

• Yahweh is the only true God
• Predicts drought
• Widow- food, raises son
• Elijah challenges Ahabs prophets
• Call down fire to consume sacrifice
• The Baals fail, Yahweh sends fire
• People say Yahweh is God
• Jezebel plots Elijahs death
• God helps him escape to Mt. Horeb and provides

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Elijah

• Care for the poor
• Naboths vineyard
• 1Kings 211-29
• Ahab wants, Jezebel sets up Naboths death
• Prophesies doom for Ahabs family
• 1Kings 2119-29
• Full prophecy comes true under next King

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Elijah

• Seen as one to bring peace to future generations
• Precursor to Messiah
• Elijah transported to heaven
• Elisha- his successor
• Takes his mantle and continues the work
• Taunted by guild prophets and children

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Northern Prophets

• 8th century BC
• Amos
• Hosea

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Amos

• Time of peace in North
• Yet leaders are not faithful to God
• Returned to Baal worship
• Lots of exploitation of poor by rich
• Amos a shepherd from the south called to go north

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Amos Message

• Right worship demands proper behavior
• Mercy and justice to the weak
• Not exploitation
• Proclaimed many sins
• Genocide, cruelty, anger, dishonesty, greed,
  lawlessness,sexual excess, desecration of the
  dead, violence, selfishness, injustice, pride
• First denounces enemies, then Israel (41-3)

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Amos

• Woe to.
• 515- Hate evil, love good
• 521-24
• Remnant- destruction, then restoration
• 98-15

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Hosea

• Born and prophesied in Northern Kingdom
• Saw fall of North
• God commands him to marry Gomer- a prostitute 12
• Draws parallels between marriage and Gods
  covenant
• Abandonment, yet faithfulness

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Hosea

• How to name children- message to people
• 14-8
• Jezreel- slaughter
• Loruhama- she is not pitied
• Lo-Ammi- not my people

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Hosea

• Messages
• Israel, you have sinned 41-2
• Israel doesnt know God 46
• Ritualism isnt knowing God 66
• Sins deserve punishment 1013-14
• Assyria overtakes- 97
• Yet, despite sin, God still loves people 118-9
• Despite punishment- God does not abandon

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Assyrian Conquest

• Deported people- 27, 000
• They intermarried wherever they were
• Lost Tribes of Israel
• Those who remained- Samaria- intermarried

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BREAK
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Southern Kingdom Prophets

• Like North- string of bad kings
• Married into the Ahab/Jezebel line
• People falling away from Yahweh
• Lots of injustice and cruelty
• Temple worship- high ritual

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Isaiah

• Largest of the prophetic books
• Actually the work of three distinct authors
• Chapters 1-39 (First Isiah)
• Isaiah of Jerusalem- before exile
• Chapters 40-55 (Second Isaiah)
• School of Isaiah- during captivity
• Chapter 56-66 (Third Isaiah)
• In Jerusalem after return

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First Isaiah

• Spanned reigns of 4 Kings
• Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah
• Killed by Manasseh- 687 BC
• At the Temple he sees the Lord in a vision of
  glory- Seraphim 63
• Fears dying
• God purifies with ember
• Tells Is what to do 68-13

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First Isaiah

• Message Repent!!!!
• Idolatry 14
• Empty sacrifice 111
• Pride 211
• Cruelty to the poor 315
• God calls to repentance 116-17

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First Isaiah

• The nation is like a vineyard that refuses to
  produce 51-7
• God must prune
• Is knows people will not repent
• Prophesies deportation in the North and South

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First Isaiah

• Under King Ahaz- the south tries to become a
  vassal to Assyria to protect itself against
  impending doom
• Ahaz sacrifices his own son to false gods for
  protection
• Potentially ending the line of David
• Isaiah promises a new king71
• Many names 95

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First Isaiah

• Actually had another son- Hezekiah
• Hez really tried to reform
• Hez stops false worship
• Isaiah prays for Assyrians to turn back
• 2 Kings 1935 tells us angel destroyed Assyrians
• Although South spared, I prophesies new power
  Babylon- would overtake Jerusalem

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First Isaiah

• Hezekiahs son- Manasseh the worst of all
  southern kings
• All manner of atrocity
• Returns to Baal worship
• Yet, first Isaiah ends on hopeful note
• There will be a remnant 246
• The fall of Jerusalem
• The Lord will prevail and comfort
• 2918-20

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Micah

• Preached at same time as First Isaiah
• Condemn leaders for their sins
• Prophesies fall of north and of Jerusalem 312
• Yet God will bring time of universal peace (43)
• Talks of a Messiah who would lead in justice and
  peace
• Remnant
• Justice, loyal love, humble faith 68

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Jeremiah

• Call of Jeremiah 11-10
• Dramatic enactments
• Never married- symbol of famine and slaughter to
  come
• God like a potter- reshapes a flawed work-
  Jeremiah shatters
• After deportation begun- walks with a yoke-
  telling them to submit
• Yet- buys a plot of land- there will be a comeback

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Jeremiah

• If people would repent, God would relent 75-7
• Message of new hope-
• Chapters 30-33 3131-34
• No longer tablets of stone- which can be
  destroyed or in books of law, but on the heart
• New Covenant
• Lamented his role as prophet of doom1510
• Yet he couldnt resist 207
• Suffered tremendously as a prophet-45 yrs
• Dragged off to Egypt despite wanting to stay

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Prophets of the Exile

• Ezekiel
• Lamentations
• Obadiah
• Second Isaiah

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Ezekiel

• Vision of God- chariot, 4 winged creatures, 4
  faces,
• Told to eat the scroll- sweet as honey
• Before the Fall of Jerusalem
• Chapter 5-
• Cuts off all his hair
• Divides into thirds-
• 1/3- fire
• 1/3-pursue with sword
• 1/3- scatters to wind
• Picks a few hairs back up- the remnant

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Ezekiel

• After the Fall of Jerusalem
• Promise of a new king
• A shepherd who will make a covenant of peace with
  the people
• Dry Bones vision 3711-14
• Also tells of rebuilt Temple, a new Jerusalem
• Died in Exile

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Second Isaiah

• Message of Consolation to those in exile
• 401-2
• God is coming to save His people (403-5)
• Promise of a Messiah
• The Lords instrument will be Cyrus of Persia

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Second Isaiah

• The Servant Songs 42, 49, 50, 52
• Second I never calls the servant messiah
• The Servant will
• Bring justice and compassion
• God chose before his birth
• The servant is persecuted
• The servant is brutally treated- lamb led to
  slaughter
• Bears the guilt of the worlds sins

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Messages during the Exile

• Have hope
• God is One- be faithful
• God will not abandon
• There is a remnant
• There will be a Messiah
• God will restore Jerusalem
• There will be peace and justice

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Exile Experience

• Few remained in Palestine-
• Only the very weak, very poor, no leaders
• 10 years to deport
• A total of 70 years of Exile
• Decent life in the new land
• Stayed to themselves
• Prospered in agricultre, commerce and culture

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Exile Experience

• Really strived not to assimilate
• No intermarriage
• Circumcision
• Sabbath observance
• Synagogues
• Writing down oral traditions
• Rabbis
• Faithful to God

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