1. Mrs. Kenny Religion 9 March 2013

2.  In Hebrew history when the people of Israel cried for a king, the Lord sent Samuel to anoint Saul as the first king over Israel.  After Saul died David became king and he was the greatest king over Israel, he made Israel a strong nation following the Lord.  After David died, his son Solomon became king and he made Israel wealthy and famous among all the nations of the world.  Solomon's one mistake was that he married foreign wives. These women brought their foreign gods and idols into Israel, and it was not long before idolatry spread throughout Israel.

3.  When Solomon died the kingdom was split in two, the Northern Kingdom consisted of ten of the tribes and was called Israel, and the Southern Kingdom consisted of two of the tribes and was called Judah.

4.  From this point onward almost every king was an idol worshipper.  In fact every king in the North was evil, but in the Southern Kingdom of Judah some of the kings followed the Lord, and when they brought the people back to God the nation prospered.  But when they disobeyed the Lord great problems would arise.

5.  It was during this time that God raised up certain "prophets" who were His mouthpieces.  They would speak out against their sin and idolatry and would continually warn of God's judgment.  Some of the prophets spoke out in the North and some in the South, but God was faithfully warning them of certain catastrophe if they would not turn to him.

6.  Finally in 722 BC the Assyrians came down and conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel and took the ten tribes away never to be seen again.  The prophets had continually warned them but the judgment finally came.

7.  The Southern Kingdom had continued to follow the Lord, but they finally turned away from God and became totally corrupt.  In 586 BC the Babylonians came and destroyed Jerusalem and carried the Jews away to Babylon.  God continued to send prophets to encourage the Hebrews that their captivity would only last 70 years.

8. North: ISRAEL – 10 tribes – 722 BC fall to AssyriansSouth: JUDAH – 2 tribes – 586 BC fall to Babylonians

9.  The prophets also gave a message of hope that one day God would send His Messiah, who would not only save the Hebrews but the whole world.  Their message was that their real bondage and captivity was to spiritual powers that cannot be seen, and God Himself would come as a man and die, so that death would "Passover" anyone who believes, and break their spiritual captivity.

10.  one who utters divinely inspired revelations  often capitalized : the writer of one of the prophetic books of the Bible  capitalized : one regarded by a group of followers as the final authoritative revealer of God's will (i.e. Muhammad, the Prophet of Allah)  one gifted with more than ordinary spiritual and moral insight; especially : an inspired poet  one who foretells future events : predictor  an effective or leading spokesman for a cause, doctrine, or group  a spiritual seer  Other ideas…

13.  1 Kings:  http://youtu.be/Xhe RtqkQ-4g http://youtu.be/Xhe RtqkQ-4g

14.  As things started to go downhill rapidly for Israel, prophets emerged. They were not incredibly popular, and even risked their lives to condemn the moral laxity of kings and the decadence of their people.  The prophets became the conscience of the people. Prophets were called by God, and warned the people that they had strayed from true worship and forgotten their role of witness to the Lord before the nations.

15. Moses – chosen Hebrew who receives God’s Law Eli – priest whom raises Samuel Samuel – rejected Saul’s flawed kingship and anointed David Nathan – denounced David’s adultery Elijah Elisha

16.  (have books in the Bible with their own names): Amos – a herdsman Hosea – a betrayed husband Isaiah – of Jerusalem, confidant and counselor of kings Micah – devotee of the poor

17.  Because the people did not listen to the warnings of the prophets or follow God’s Law, both kingdoms were conquered and forced into exile.

19.  After Solomon dies, his son Rehoboam becomes king.  The North sets a condition for accepting Rehoboam: he must not oppress them as his father did. The elders of the court agree and advise the young king to be a servant to his people, not a slave driver. But Rehoboam instead heeds the counsel of his young comrades, who call for more brutality, and the northern tribes reject him.  Thus, all Israel is divided into 2 kingdoms: Israel in the North and Judah in the South.  The unifying work of David is destroyed in only 2 generations.  Rehoboam continues the royal line of the house of David in the south.

20.  The rebel Jeroboam is declared king in the north, and immediately breaks the Law of God by enshrining 2 golden calves, one at Dan the other at Bethel.  Jeroboam raised up non-Levite priests to offer sacrifices in the north, hoping to keep his people from going south to Jerusalem to worship, where they might rekindle their loyalty to the house of David.  His strategy fails, as his dynasty only briefly outlives him.

22.  Jeroboam sought to please everyone by building the golden calves.  For the Canaanites, a golden calf is a symbol of Baal, their fertility god.  For the Israelites, the calves can serve as a throne for an invisible God.  It caters to both peoples, and keeps them away from having to go to Jerusalem to worship.  Obviously a bad idea to us!!!!!!!!!

23.  After Jeroboam, there is a string of violent deaths.  To overthrow the king, it is common to assassinate the king and his whole family.  The 6 th king Omri builds Samaria – a splendid capital city.  He is succeeded by his son Ahab. Ahab marries Jezebel – a wicked woman and pagan, and they become the villains in the stories about the prophets Elijah and Elisha.

24.  Marriages between two different peoples were ways of building protective alliances against hostile empires.  Jezebel was Phonecian, and this gained military strength for Israel by adding Phonecia (Western Canaanites).  The cost for Israel was that Baal replaced God in the people’s worship.

25.  The purpose of the stories in the Books of Kings about Elijah and Elisha – especially for the exiles in Babylon – was to show that when God spoke through the prophets, he expected Israel to listen, or else!  Elijah & Elisha – historical figures who tangled with Ahab & Jezebel  Elijah & Elisha – prophesized from the reigns of the kings of Israel from Ahab to Joash – about 874-796 B.C.

26.  Elijah opens with God’s sending him to tell King Ahab that he will be punished by a terrible drought, because Queen Jezebel had ordered all the prophets of Israel to be killed.  Elijah is sent to hide by a stream where ravens will feed him. When the stream runs dry, he is sent to a Phonecian town (Zarepath) where a widow will care for him.  Upon arriving, Elijah sees the woman and asks her for water and a crust of bread. She only has enough flour and oil to make a barley cake for herself and her son before they die of starvation.  Elijah promises God’s help if she will divide the cake with him. She does, and after the drought is over, her jar of flour and jug of oil are never empty. (1 Kings 17:1-16)

27.  Although the woman has only enough flour and oil for a barley cake for herself and her son, she believes Elijah when he promises God’s help if she shares the cake. Having trusted that God will provide whatever is needed, the woman never goes hungry again.  Elijah performed many other miracles too, including healing. Jesus refers to Elijah’s work in the New Testament (e.g. Luke 4:20-30).

28. Elijah remains with the widow of Zarepath until God sends him back to Ahab’s court. Elijah is blamed for the drought, and in response challenges Baal to produce rain. Then Elijah builds an altar to the Lord. He digs a trench around it with water and builds a fire. He kills a bull for sacrifice, and has the people drench it with water. He calls on God’s power, and fire comes down to consume everything. Unfaithful people fall to the ground to worship the God of Israel. Then Elijah has the prophets of Baal killed. (1Kings 18:17-40)

29.  Jezebel gets angry at Elijah’s victory over the prophets of Baal, and threatens his life.  Elijah flees to the desert, where an angel tells him to journey to Horeb (Mount Sinai).  He takes shelter in a cave, and mourns the people who have all abandoned God.  God tells Elijah he will reveal himself to him, and to go outside.

31.  God then sends Elijah back to work, reminding him that there are still 7,000 Israelites who have remained faithful.  Question:  What can we take away from the way God reveals himself to Elijah?  Answer:  God’s Presence in the Small and Ordinary God’s strength doesn’t always come in a big, showy way. We may not find God’s power in big, obvious successes or triumphs but in his quiet movement in our everyday.

32.  King Ahab wants a man Naboth’s vineyard. The land is on Naboth’s ancestral ground, and he refuses to give it up.  Ahab complains to Jezebel about it, who has Naboth framed and stoned to death.  Because property of a condemned person reverts to the king, Ahab gets his vineyard in an underhanded, nasty operation.  God sends Elijah to curse Ahab. Elijah foretells of the end of Ahab, Jezebel, and their royal line. All of these things eventually happen. (1 Kings 21:1-29; 22:29-38)

33.  We have free will, freedom to make decisions to be good or bad.  Even though evil is in the world, good does prevail.  Evil is self-destructive, while good multiplies.  For example, we don’t commonly recognize villains like Ahab, but we can all think of saints who did good in their lives, and have affected our lives – sometimes centuries or millennia later!

34.  Elijah knows his life is over. He goes to the Jordan River with Elisha, a devoted follower. There, Elijah parts the water with his cloak, and the two cross over the river.  Elisha asks for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit.  A flaming chariot with fiery horses comes between the two, and Elijah disappears in a whirlwind.  Elisha watches and cries out.  He tears his cloak in half, strikes the river, and returns across the riverbed.  For 3 days, a community of prophets of the region search for Elijah but fail to find him.

35.  This story gave rise to the belief that Elijah would return to announce the coming of a Messiah.  There are references about Elijah in the New Testament.  One example states that John the Baptist has “the spirit and power of Elijah.”  In the gospels, Elijah appears at the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ (Luke 1:13,17; John 1:19-21; Luke 9:28-33). Transfiguration by Lodovico Carracci, 1594, depicting Elijah, Jesus, and Moses with the three apostles.

36.  Elisha’s story is an unbroken succession of wonders. He follows in his mentor’s (Elijah) footsteps.  Elisha: 1) Purifies Jericho’s water supply, which has been causing death and miscarriages 2) Helps a widow avoid selling her children to pay her debts 3) Blesses a childless couple, and they have a son, which he later revives through a type of artificial respiration 4) Purifies poisoned stew and multiplies loaves of bread to make enough for a hundred people 5) Becomes known for healing powers (i.e. curing Naaman of leprosy by having him wash in the Jordan 7 times) 6) Is buried with another man, who springs back to life when he touches Elisha’s body

37.  2 Kings:  http://youtu.be/o2a usqaWG0w http://youtu.be/o2a usqaWG0w

38.  Miracles in the Bible aren’t supposed to be seen as “divine tricks.”  Instead, they are supposed to represent God’s loving concern for people.

39. Writing Prophets

40.  Amos: a shepherd from Judah who goes north to preach against the sinful kingdom of Israel in about 750 B.C. (during the reign of Jeroboam II)  Amos: harsh, blunt, and angry who is said to roar like a lion

41.  Shepherd, so dressed in rustic garments compared to the northerners rich attire  Goes to Bethel first to talk to the people, then Samaria  Condemns their unjust exploitative actions toward the poor and weak, tells that God will punish them for this  In Samaria, he compares the rich women to fat cattle who are waited on hand and foot – and that someday they will be dragged away like dead animals

42.  God’s Law was set up to take care of everyone – rich and poor, and had been abandoned  By abandoning God’s Law, it has led to the oppression of the poor

43.  MLK Jr. referred to the prophet Amos in a famous sermon, when he explained that the Lord hates and abominates celebrating religious rituals with an insincere heart  When we worship, we must process, sacrifice, and sing with hearts that love God “like waters, / and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” Amos 5:24  In other words, God condemns empty worship.

44.  Amos watches Israel burn during dry season  Foresees Israel’s eventual downfall from so much sin  Refers to Israel as “Jacob” and pleads for Israel to God  God eventually lets Israel fall to its own destruction  Eventually gets told to go back to Judah  Tells off the high priest before going home

45.  By the end of Israel (786-721 B.C.) – just before they get conquered by the Assyrians – things are very bad  Hosea – a prophet from the north  Hosea is involved in a very unhappy marriage with Gomer, a wife he loves  Gomer has left Hosea for other lovers, just like Israel has deserted God for the Canaanite god Baal

46.  Hosea relates his own experience of betrayal to find the words he needs  The first 3 chapters of Hosea deliver this message, relayed as a parable  The remaining 11 chapters are fragments of oracles condemning Israel’s sin

47. a : a person (as a priestess of ancient Greece) through whom a deity is believed to speak b : a shrine in which a deity reveals hidden knowledge or the divine purpose through such a person c : an answer or decision given by an oracle OR a : a person giving wise or authoritative decisions or opinions b : an authoritative or wise expression or answer

48.  Hosea is told to give his 3 kids strange names that literally mean:  “shameful butchery”  “not pitied”  And “not my people”  By the time Hosea says the third name, the people of Israel understand that Hosea is describing them breaking the Covenant.  This is a highly threatening idea.  They had always assumed that God’s Covenant would be there and stave off punishment. (Hosea 1:1-9)

49.  Hosea is the first book of the Bible to feature the relationship between God and Israel as a marriage and to use the language and images of marriage in describing it (metaphor)  To God, “infidelity” in Israel’s behavior means betrayal of justice, compassion, integrity, true worship

50.  Gomer could be sentenced to death for her infidelity. Instead, Hosea wants to punish her for a little while, then take her back tenderly.  In other words, God is saying that he will not wipe out the people of Israel, even though they deserve it.  Instead, they will be put through a time of exile and abandonment.  This will eventually bring Israel back into its loving relationship with the Lord.

51.  Assyria – the fiercest, most brutal power in the Ancient Near East  It is impossible for Israel to be secure against them, even if they banded together with other hostile neighbors  Assyrians take down the capital Samaria in about 721 B.C.

53. So the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them from his presence. Only the tribe of Judah was left…

54.  Some people of Israel flee south to Judah, because of their common identity as Chosen People of God  Many of their stories are integrated/edited into Scripture from this time

55.  Samaritans – intensely disliked by Jews during biblical times  Samaritans – descendants of the Israelites who remained in the north after Samaria’s collapse; common people, not leaders, who intermarried with Assyrians and foreign colonists  Samaritans – centuries later, are like distant, lost cousins of people of Judah  Religion was seen as polluted by paganism, so the post-exiled Jews didn’t like them

56.  Israel’s kings came from a variety of families (assassinations)  Judah’s kings all came from the house/line of David – who had confidence that their rule as one family would endure forever because of the Davidic Covenant

57.  Isaiah was from Jerusalem in the southern kingdom of Judah.  The prophet Isaiah is the first of four Major Prophets in Hebrew Scripture, along with Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel.  Isaiah was one of the first of the Latter Prophets, and lived during the time of the prophets Amos, Hosea, and Micah. Isaiah received his call from God in the Temple of Jerusalem in the eighth century BC, a turbulent time for Israel.

58.  The prophet Isaiah lived during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah (742- 687), and was from Judah – the southern territory.  Isaiah was struck by the moral breakdown of the times.  Isaiah reminded the people of the need to keep God's covenant if Israel was going to remain God's chosen people, but his ministry fell on deaf ears.

59.  The Book of Isaiah is the longest, most influential of the prophetic books, covering from 200-250yrs of chronology.  Isaiah was a “writing prophet,” but was written by a number of authors. It is usually recognized as the work of 3 different “Isaiahs:”

60.  First Isaiah – Isaiah of Jerusalem  Pleads with the kings and people of Judah before the Babylonian exile  Responsible for Chapters 1-39  Second Isaiah  Spoke during and after the Babylonian Exile  Responsible for Chapters 40-55  Third Isaiah  With the people when they returned to Judah from the Babylonian Exile  Responsible for Chapters 56-66.  The second and third Isaiahs were probably disciples of the great prophet, and shared his vision and passionate desire to bring Israel (the people) back to God.

61.  A collection of oracles and poems. (Some of the most beautiful hymns in the Old Testament are found in Isaiah.) This collection is sometimes divided into 2 parts:  the Book of Judgment (Chapters 1-39) and  the Book of Consolation (Chapters 40-66)  The Book contains two of the most famous prophecies in Hebrew Scripture:  that of the Virgin birth of the Messiah (7:14) and  the Servant who suffered and died for our sins (Isaiah 52:13-53:12), identified in the New Testament with Jesus Christ.

62.  A wealth of Church teaching is found as well in Isaiah, such as the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit (11:2-3), and the major corporal works of mercy (58:7). Isaiah 26:19 is also one of the earliest references to the afterlife.  Isaiah is the most quoted prophet in the New Testament, and the Book of Isaiah is second only to Psalms in the number of verse quotations from Hebrew Scripture found in the New Testament.

63.  For the people: infidelity, suffering, repentance, and consolation  By the prophets: threats condemnations, promises, and comfort

64.  Isaiah was young while Amos preached in Israel  Lived in Jerusalem during the reigns of 4 kings of Judah, including Ahaz (a bad king) and his son Hezekiah (a surprisingly faithful king)  Married, had at least 2 sons  Familiar with the court  Counselor to kings  Writer – his Hebrew was very good, therefore he must have been very well-educated  Has a vision in the Temple of Jerusalem in about 742 BC, calling him to speak out as a prophet

65.  Book of Isaiah gets right to the point at condemning the people, then prophesying a day of reconciliation  Calls for a trust in God, not continued ways to avoid being invaded  Calls for repentance and prayer  Message: God promises forgiveness if Judah and Jerusalem will turn from injustice and idolatry (E.g.: God can turn a sin as red as scarlet to as white as snow.)  Warning: if people ignore the Lord, no treaty or alliance will save them  The people do not listen, and the south falls to the Babylonians

66.  Isaiah’s message is also about the majesty and glory of God  Metaphors: dumb ox and stubborn donkey can even obey their master but Israel can’t  Reference from Isaiah can explain why ox and donkey are in manger scene when Jesus is born, because they are actually not mentioned in any of the gospel stories!

67.  Only the poor and the weak will be left in the land when Judah falls  Judah and Jerusalem “have brought evil upon themselves” says God in Isaiah 3:9.  Punishment is the people’s own wrongdoing, God is not responsible for it.

68. 1. Read Isaiah 5:1-7 2. Who is the betrayed lover in this passage???

69.  Isaiah sees God enthroned in the Temple of Jerusalem with seraphim (chanting angels) all around Him.

70.  Isaiah feels overwhelmed by his own sinfulness, but an angel cleanses his lips with a live coal from the altar to purify him of his sinfulness  (HINT: Remember this from the Jesse Tree reflections during Advent???)

71.  http://youtu.be/g2lZHTvZfF4 http://youtu.be/g2lZHTvZfF4  God doesn’t sit on a throne and angels don’t really use tongs to pick up coals…this is vivid imagery Isaiah uses to describe the overwhelming emotions of what he felt in the Temple – what couldn’t be rationalized or explained because it was divine.

72.  Isaiah tells King Ahaz to ask God for a sign. King Ahaz will not do it, because he is pretending to be humble when he already sacrificed his son by fire.  This causes Isaiah to prophesize that a virgin (“young woman” in Hebrew) will bear a son named Immanuel, meaning “God is with us.”  Isaiah also prophesizes that the stump of Jesse (Davidic line) will bring peace never experienced before, and the enemies of the world (more animal metaphors here) will come together as the symbols of peace and friendship.

73.  The people didn’t quite think Immanuel was going to be the Messiah.  We know he was prophesying the Messiah, Jesus, because we know what happens after Isaiah’s prophesy and the angel Gabriel’s words to Mary.  However, the people probably thought Isaiah meant a perfect prince would come from the line/house of David.

74.  Israel and Syria have been conquered,  Because Judah is a vassal to Assyria, Judah is saved from siege.  Vassal: (noun) 1. (in the feudal system) a person granted the use of land, in return for rendering homage, fealty, and usually military service or its equivalent to a lord or other superior; feudal tenant. 2. a person holding some similar relation to a superior; a subject, subordinate, follower, or retainer. 3. a servant or slave.

75.  Ahaz replaces the altar to God in Jerusalem with one for an Assyrian god.  Ahaz’s son Hezekiah is faithful though, and destroys pagan shrines, and insists sacrifices be made only in the Jerusalem Temple.  When the northern kingdom gets conquered, Hezekiah wants to plan a front against Assyria. Isaiah must warn against this, so he walks around Jerusalem with only a loincloth on – to show the people they’d be foolishly stripped bare if they revolted!  The Assyrians press into the northern towns of Judah, and Hezekiah starts freaking out about it! He turns to Isaiah, who reassures him everything will be ok. Then, a miracle happens: an angel of the Lord strikes down thousands of Assyrians during the night, and the survivors are forced to retreat back to the Assyrian capital of Nineveh. (2 Kings 19:35).

76.  Judah is special because of King David and the Davidic Covenant  The people see God’s favor in being saved from the Assyrians, but get complacent that Jerusalem can’t fall to an enemy.  Counting on God to work a miracle when you haven’t done something you should have done (i.e. homework, study for a quiz/test, etc.) is never a good thing,  Sincere trust in God goes much deeper than all of this.

78.  Minor prophet  A man of humble origins from the countryside, 20 miles or so from Jerusalem  Lived around the same time as Isaiah of Jerusalem  Inspired to speak, no matter how unpopular it made him  Sympathy for the poor because of his own life as a poor man (probably a farmworker)  Blunt and uncompromising when condemning of those who oppress the poor (intimate knowledge of the sufferings of poverty)

79.  Short – 7 Chapters  Prophesy:  time of peace, when the nations “shall beat their swords into plowshares” (4:3)  “to justice and to love kindness, / and to walk humbly with God.” (6:8)

80.  Micah mourns crimes of Israel and Judah  Metaphor from Judah and Israel: “Jacob” (just like Amos!) Micah calls for Israel to repent and return to God Micah believes the people can turn things around (positive, hopeful writing, like Hosea!) and experience peace by having no need to train for war. Instead, they “shall beat their swords into plowshares, / and their spears into pruning hooks.” (Micah 4:1-3; or Isaiah 2:2-4)

81.  Micah predicts that a baby will be born in Bethlehem from the line of David that will rise up and lead Israel into the reign of peace and justice. (5:4-5)  “O Little Town of Bethlehem” Just as Micah predicted, the gospels of Matthew and Luke situate the birth of Jesus in the town of Bethlehem.

83.  Did anyone in the time of the prophets listen to what was being said?  Why did we spend so much time talking about the time of the prophets, if they couldn’t change the people’s behavior and the kingdoms fell into exile anyway?  The words of the prophets have been used in many important movements since biblical times:  The Civil Rights Movement  The Peace Movement  The movements for national and global economic justice  Humankind is challenged to listen again and again to the words of being true to God and sincere in heart when approaching faith.