 A prophet is one sent by God to speak in God’s name.  The prophet is often rejected by the people to whom he/she is sent.

 Major Prophets  Isaiah  Jeremiah  Ezekiel  Minor Prophets  Amos, Hosea, Micah, Zephaniah, Habakkuk, Nahum, Haggai, Zechariah, Obadiah, Malachi, Joel, Jonah

 The prophet is called to:  Confront idolatry  remind people of the commandments and covenant  point out evil  Advise and correct the king and Israelites  Be both a foreteller and a foreseer  Speak for the poor (those oppressed or in any way needy)

 Continued…  Reject religious formalism;  Call people to conversion and reform  Remind people of the promise of salvation.

 Mostly between 750 – 450 BC   Amos, Hosea, Isaiah 1-39, Micah   Zephaniah, Habakkuk, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Nahum   Isaiah 40-66, Haggai, Zechariah, Obadiah  After 500  Malachi, Joel, Jonah

 The United Monarchy fell and divided in 931 BCE.  After that Israel was its own nation in the North and Judah was its own nation in the south = Divided Monarchy  For a while, each nation remained independent.

 The earliest prophets, however, sensed danger and began propehsying repentence or the Assyrians would come to Israel. Assyria was a huge empire vastly bigger than Israel.  This happens in 722 BCE. Assyria invades Israel and destroys it. Israel no longer exists.  Judah, however, manages to remain independent.

 Assryia is taken over by Babylon, the new big superpower.  The later prophets begin warning the people about Babylon  But in 587 BCE, Babylon destroys Jerusalem, burns the temple to the ground, and exiles the people to Babylon (Babylonian Exile).

 The leaders and important Judeans lived in Babylon until Persia conquered Babylon.  Cyrus the Great of Persia returned the exiles to Jerusalem and allowed them to rebuild the Temple (516 BCE)  However, Judah/Israel was never independent again but governed by superior powers.

 Leading up to the prophets  Exodus reveals a God of compassion who desires the freedom of those suffering AND for the people to live justly = Commandments  Kings shows the gradual decline of Covenant keeping as kings become worse and people forget the Covenant

 Prophets respond to their situations  They are aware of the people’s need for reform  They are aware of rising superpowers  Their calling is related to the rise of superpowers (Assyria, Babylon, Persia)

A TRUE PROPHET…  Usually is reluctant to speak for God  Listens to the authentic voice of God within him or her and then communicates God’s message.  Tells people the truth, even if it hurts  Is a realist  Conveys a message that is consistent with the faith of Israel, the covenant  Is unpopular, holds no official position, and suffers for telling the truth.  Offers people hope and a means of surviving suffering and devastation  Lives the message preached  Has a message that stands the test of time

 Who are some people today who could be described as true prophets? Why are they true?

READ JEREMIAH 1: 4-10

 Word of the Lord came to me = called by God  Jeremiah objects (I am too young)  God commands him and he goes and speaks  “To root up and tear down…to build and to plant” = root out evil and oppression plant justice

 Activity: Read your section as a group. Discuss what the message is and come up with a tag-line for your prophet.  Be ready to present your prophet to the class.  Name of your Prophet  What you think his general message is  Your tag-line or campaign phrase for him  One quote that you think shows us who your prophet is  Vote on which Prophet you would elect as Mission Model (NOT your own)

 Compassion  God is kind and gracious (delivered them from Egypt, gave them laws, brought them to the land).  God cares about the people who are suffering and wants to end their suffering  Zeal  God is the only God and wants the people to remember that = NO IDOLATRY

 General Message: Conversion, turn back to the Covenant =  Call the people back to loving God and loving neighbor  Because God hears the cry of the suffering and has compassion for them, the prophets call us to do the same

 Points out oppression and injustice and calls people to act with justice and compassion  Active like the prophets = not theoretical but lived out in practice