The Prophets and the Exile

Amos S. Yang, MD!

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Old Testament History

•  Eternity past, creation, fall!•  Flood, Tower of Babel!•  Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph!•  Moses, Law, wilderness!•  Joshua, Promised Land!•  Judges!

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Old Testament History

•  Saul, David, Solomon, Rehoboam!•  Divided Kingdom!

!  Northern Kingdom (�Israel�)!!  Southern Kingdom (�Judah�)!

•  Exiles!!  Israel in 722 BC!!  Judah in 586 BC (3rd time)!

•  Return of Judah in 538!

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Old Testament Canon

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Kings and Prophets

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Amos is an uncle!

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Amos is an uncle!

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Amos is an uncle!

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Amos is an uncle!

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Three applications

•  Be aware of who the prophet is writing to.!•  Be aware of when the prophet is writing.!•  Consider using a study Bible!

!  NIV Study Bible!!  NASB Study Bible!!  Ryrie Study Bible!!  MacArthur Study Bible!

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Reasons for the Exile

•  2 Kings 17:5-6 �Then the king of Assyria invaded all the land and came to

Samaria, and for three years he besieged it. In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria, and he carried the Israelites away to Assyria and placed them in Halah, and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.�

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Reasons for the Exile

•  Israel was sinning against the Lord

•  2 Kings 17:7 �And this occurred because the people of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods�

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Reasons for the Exile

•  Israel was worldly.

•  2 Kings 17:8 �(Israel) walked in the customs of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the people of Israel, and in the customs that the kings of Israel had practiced.�

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Reasons for the Exile

•  Israel was unfaithful.

•  2 Kings 17:9-12 �And the people of Israel did secretly against the LORD their God things that were not right. They built for themselves high places in all their towns, from watchtower to fortified city. They set up for themselves pillars and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree, and there they made offerings on all the high places, as the nations did whom the LORD carried away before them. And they did wicked things, provoking the LORD to anger, and they served idols, of which the LORD had said to them, �You shall not do this.��

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Reasons for the Exile

•  Israel was ignoring the prophets and the Word of God.

•  2 Kings 17:13-16 �Yet the LORD warned Israel and Judah by every prophet and every seer, saying, "Turn from your evil ways and keep my commandments and my statutes, in accordance with all the Law that I commanded your fathers, and that I sent to you by my servants the prophets.��But they would not listen, but were stubborn, as their fathers had been, who did not believe in the LORD their God. They despised his statutes and his covenant that he made with their fathers and the warnings that he gave them. They went after false idols and became false, and they followed the nations that were around them, concerning whom the LORD had commanded them that they should not do like them. And they abandoned all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made for themselves metal images of two calves; and they made an Asherah and worshiped all the host of heaven and served Baal.�

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Reasons for the Exile

•  As a result, God exiled Israel.

•  2 Kings 17:18 �Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them out of his sight. None was left but the tribe of Judah only.�

•  Judah was still intact.

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Reasons for the Exile

•  Judah also was exiled

•  2 Kings 17:19 �Judah also did not keep the commandments of the LORD their God, but walked in the customs that Israel had introduced.�

•  2 Kings 25:11 �And the rest of the people who were left in the city and the deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon, together with the rest of the multitude, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried into exile.�

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God�s standard for sexual purity

•  1 Thessalonians 4:3-8 �For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.�

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God�s standard for sexual purity

•  Ephesians 5:3 �But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people.�

•  Ephesians 5:5 �For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.�

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God�s standard for sexual purity

•  Dumb questions �How far can I go with my boyfriend/girlfriend?� �How much poison can I drink before I die?� �How close can I get to Satan before I go to hell?� �How close to the cliff can I get before I fall over and die?�

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God�s standard for sexual purity

•  Smart questions �Is it holy?� (1 Thess 4:4) �Is it honorable?� (1 Thess 4:4) �Is it pure?� (Eph 5:3, 5) �How far away from sin can I get?� �How close to God can I get?� �How would my future spouse feel?"

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The role of the prophets

•  Major roles !  To call for repentance. !  To call people to return to God�s Word as previously given

•  2 Kings 17:13 �Yet the LORD warned Israel and Judah by every prophet and every seer, saying, �Turn from your evil ways and keep my commandments and my statutes, in accordance with all the Law that I commanded your fathers, and that I sent to you by my servants the prophets.��

•  Minor role: To foretell

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The mark of the prophets

•  A prophet had the Holy Spirit, unlike others •  1 Samuel 10:9-11 When (Saul) turned his back to leave Samuel, God gave him another heart. And all these signs came to pass that day. When they came to Gibeah, behold, a group of prophets met him, and the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he prophesied among them. And when all who knew him previously saw how he prophesied with the prophets, the people said to one another, �What has come over the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?��

•  See also Num 11:25, 1 Sam 19:20-24

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Case study

•  Joel 2:28-31 "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit�

"And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.�

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Case study

•  Acts 2:1-6: The birth of the church. �When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

�Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language.�

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Case study

•  Acts 2:7-13 �And they were amazed and astonished, saying, �Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians--we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God." And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, �What does this mean?� But others mocking said, �They are filled with new wine."

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Case study

•  Acts 2:14-16 �But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice

and addressed them, �Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel…�

•  Peter then quotes the prophecy from Joel 2:28-32 •  Peter teaches that Joel 2:28-32 has been fulfilled in Christ

and at Pentecost.

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Applications

•  Realize that you are to be �prophetic.� •  Realize that you are to call other Christians back to the

Word of God.

•  Realize that these are the last days.

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