OLD TESTAMENT SURVEY. OLD TESTAMENT SURVEY The Major Prophets

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.) ecstatic2.) called3.) 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 authors2.) Unified authorship3.) 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

1.Call of the Prophet (ch. 1)2.Warning and Exhortations (ch. 2-35)3.Sufferings and Persecutions of the

Prophet (ch. 36-38)4.The Fall of Jerusalem and its

aftermath (ch. 39-45)5.Judgment against the nations (ch.

46-51)6.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 sovereignty2.) God’s desire to be known and acknowledged

-”They will know that I am the Lord” is said 65 times.3.) God’s mobility4.) 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

-Ezekiel 37:1-14

-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 Focusch. 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?

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