1. OLD TESTAMENT SURVEY

2. OLD TESTAMENT SURVEY The Major Prophets

3. 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

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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

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

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

10. 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

11. 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.

12. 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

13. 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.

14. 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).

15. 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.

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

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

18. 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.

19. 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

20. 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.

21. 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

22. 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.

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

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

25. 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

26. 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

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

28. 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?

29. QUESTIONS?

30. OLD TESTAMENT SURVEY