OLD TESTAMENT SURVEY

OLD TESTAMENT SURVEY The Major Prophets

What is a prophet? -Prophecy – proclamation of God's Word (to include both judgment and hope) -Prophet – an individual chosen by God to deliver his message (of judgment and hope) -In Hebrew – called to do something; one who is speaking forth; to see the message

Characteristics of Prophets -Prophets are: 1.) ecstatic 2.) called 3.) historically conditioned

Classification of Prophets 1.) Pre-classical – the oral prophets Moses, Miriam, Deborah, Nathan, Samuel, Elijah, Elisha 2.) Classical – the writing prophets Isaiah, Micah, Amos, Hosea, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Jeremiah, Jonah, Ezekiel, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, and Obadiah

The Book of Isaiah -The man – means “Yahweh is salvation.” -Occupation – a wise man; possibly a priest -Family – Came from a wealthy background; had access to the king; had 2 sons

The Times of Isaiah -His ministry was from 743-686 BC -What happened in his time? -735 – Syro-Ephraimitic War -721 – Destruction of Israel -703 – Assyrian Invasion -688 – 2nd Assyrian Invasion

Authorship and Date of Isaiah -There are some different ideas: 1.) Multiple authors 2.) Unified authorship 3.) Isaiah anthology

The Structure of Isaiah 1.) Isaiah and the Assyrian Era (ch. 1-39) 2.) Isaiah and the Exilic Era (ch. 40-55) 3.) Isaiah and the Post-exilic era (ch. 56-66)

The Theology of Isaiah 1.) The Holiness of God -Moral Perfection (Isaiah 6) -Sovereignty (Isaiah 43:10-15) 2.) The Redemption of God -Expectation for Christ to come (Isaiah 7:14; 9:1-7; 11:1-2) -Servant Songs (Isaiah 42:1-4; 49:1-6; 50:4-9; 52:13-53:12

The Book of Jeremiah Author – traditional view is Jeremiah -His name – means “The Lord exalts” or “The Lord establishes” or “The Lord throws” -like throwing a prophet into a hostile world -Date – began in 626 BC; ended around 586 BC -The man – belong to priestly household of Hilkiah and was from Anatoth -He was not allowed to be married.

The Life of Jeremiah -Was a “prophet of doom” -Had only a few friends – Ahikam, Gedaliah, & Ebed-Melech -Had a secretary as well – Baruch – wrote down the words that Jeremiah spoke. -He was a timid man. The Lord made him both strong and courageous (1:18, 6:27). -Known most famously as the “weeping prophet.” -Had a spirit of anguish

The Time of Jeremiah -Period of storm and stress. Doom for Judah was coming. -There were mostly corrupt kings. -Would prophesy until the destruction of Judah by the Babylonians in 586.

Theological Themes 1.) The Role of Prophecy -Jeremiah as prophet is mentioned almost 20 times. -Condemned the false prophets. -Only speak for God. 2.) Idolatry of the People 3.) Judgments 4.) God as all powerful -He is creator (10:12-16) and present everywhere (23:24).

Cool Facts About Jeremiah -It is the longest book of the Bible. -Contains more words than any other book. -Made more use of alliteration than almost any other book.

Outline of Jeremiah Call of the Prophet (ch. 1) Warning and Exhortations (ch. 2-35) Sufferings and Persecutions of the Prophet (ch. 36-38) The Fall of Jerusalem and its aftermath (ch. 39-45) Judgment against the nations (ch. 46-51) Historical Appendix (ch. 52)

Keeping it in Context -Jeremiah 29:11 -What does it say? -What does it mean?

The Book of Ezekiel -Author: Ezekiel (book bears his name) -The man: Among the Jews exiled to Babylon in 597 BC; He was married; lived freely in Babylon; belonged to a priestly family -In the exile, was called to prophesy.

More on the Man, Ezekiel -Man of broad knowledge; smart. -Knew much about other nations and cultures. -Able to grasp large issues. -Called to act out in prophetic symbolism

The Times of Ezekiel -Started in 593 BC. Active for 22 years. -Lost his wife. This was a symbol. He was to not mourn for her as a sign to his people not to mourn openly for Jerusalem. -Like Isaiah and Jeremiah, doom was to come on Israel and other nations. -Once they were defeated, he preached of their restoration and glorious future.

Themes of Ezekiel 1.) God’s sovereignty 2.) God’s desire to be known and acknowledged -”They will know that I am the Lord” is said 65 times. 3.) God’s mobility 4.) God’s judgment and grace

Theological Significance -Ezekiel focuses uniquely on Israel as God’s holy people, temple, city, and land. -They defiled the worship of God. -Would receive punishment temporarily. -Kept his covenant and restored them. -God has a saving purpose even in the midst of judgment. -This book demands the future work of God in Christ.

Outline of Ezekiel 1.) Oracles of Judgment against Israel (ch. 1-24) 2.) Oracles of Judgment against the nations (ch. 25-32) 3.) Oracles of Consolation for Israel (ch. 33-48)

Popular Passage in Ezekiel -Dry, dead bones come to life. -Comparable to what that happens to all Christians?

The Book of Daniel (apocalyptic) -The man: “God is my judge.” He was from Judah and captured by Nebuchadnezzar in 605 BC. Trained and became an advisor in the royal court. -Genre: apocalyptic literature; reveals -use of images and numbers

The Dating of Daniel 1.) Traditional View: 6th century BC 2.) Maccabean Period (164 BC) -Dead Sea Scrolls rule this out. -Dated back to 200 BC. 3.) Modified View – 450 BC -not written by Daniel

The Structure of Daniel 1.) Historical Focus ch. 1-6 2.) Apocalyptic Focus ch. 7-12

The Message of Daniel The Sovereignty of God in History -God is controlling the developments that happen in human history. -What are some famous stories from the book of Daniel that show this?

QUESTIONS?

OLD TESTAMENT SURVEY