CHAPTER 7: THE

PROPHETS(PART 1)

Mrs. Kenny

Religion 9

March 2013

LET’S RECAP! 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.

THE KINGDOMS SPLIT 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.

BAD KINGS 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.

PROPHETS 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.

NORTHERN KINGDOM 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.

SOUTHERN KINGDOM 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.

KINGDOMSNorth: ISRAEL – 10 tribes – 722 BC fall to Assyrians

South:JUDAH – 2 tribes – 586 BC fall to Babylonians

A MESSIAH 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.

WHAT IS A PROPHET? 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…

JELLY TELLY! 1 Kings:

http://youtu.be/XheRtqkQ-4g

THE KINGDOM BREAKS UP 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.

NON-WRITING PROPHETS(TALES COLLECTED AND PASSED ALONG OVER TIME)

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

ElijahElisha

WRITING PROPHETS(have books in the Bible with their own names):Amos – a herdsmanHosea – a betrayed husbandIsaiah – of Jerusalem, confidant and counselor of kings

Micah – devotee of the poor

CONQUERING & EXILE 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.

Two Kingdoms: Israel and Judah

SOUTH: REHOBOAM 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.

NORTH: JEROBOAM 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.

WHY GOLDEN CALVES?

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!!!!!!!!!

The Wicked Kings of the North 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 6th 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.

A STRATEGIC MARRIAGE? 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.

ELIJAH & ELISHA IN THE NORTH 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.

Elijah Nourished by a Starving Widow

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)

Elijah Nourished by a Starving Widow…cont’d

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).

Victory over the Prophets of Baal

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)

AFTER THE VICTORY… 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.

READ 1 KINGS 19:11-18…

WHAT DID GOD USE

TO REVEAL HIMSELF TO ELIJAH IN THIS

PASSAGE?

GOD IN THE BREEZE 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.

Condemning Ahab’s Greed for a Vineyard

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)

FREE TO CHOOSE 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!

OFF IN A CHARIOT OF FIRE

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.

ELIJAH AT THE TRANSFIGURATION

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.

ELISHA’S MIRACLES 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 miscarriages2) Helps a widow avoid selling her children to pay her debts3) Blesses a childless couple, and they have a son, which he

later revives through a type of artificial respiration4) Purifies poisoned stew and multiplies loaves of bread to

make enough for a hundred people5) 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

JELLY TELLY! 2 Kings:

http://youtu.be/o2ausqaWG0w

MULTIPLYING LOAVES & HEALING THE SICK

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.

AMOS AND HOSEA IN THE

NORTHWriting Prophets

AMOS: A CRY AGAINST RICHES GAINED BY INJUSTICE

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

AMOS 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

WHY SO ANGRY AMOS? 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

NO EMPTY RITUAL: “LET JUSTICE ROLL DOWN” 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.

AMOS’S VISIONS OF ISRAEL’S FINAL FATE 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

HOSEA: GOD AS A BETRAYED HUSBAND 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

HOSEA IS A PARABLE OF BETRAYAL 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

WHAT IS AN ORACLE?• 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

STRANGE NAMES 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)

BE EXILED BUT COME BACK TO ME 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

GOMER & ISRAEL AS FOREVER BELOVED

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.

ASSYRIA DEFEATS AND SCATTERS ISRAEL 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.

Write down the quote from

2 Kings 17:18

2 Kings 17:18

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

A FLIGHT TO THE SOUTH 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

SAMARITANS 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

BACKING UP: SOUTHERN KINGDOM OF JUDAH

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

ISAIAH: THE GREATEST WRITING PROPHET

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.

ISAIAH: THE GREATEST WRITING PROPHET

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.

THE BOOK OF ISAIAH: A WORK OF THREE ERAS 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:”

3 ISAIAHS 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.

BOOK OF ISAIAH 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.

BOOK OF ISAIAH:LOTS OF GOOD STUFF INSIDE! 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.

THEMES IN THE BOOK OF ISAIAH: For the people:

infidelity, suffering, repentance, and consolation

By the prophets: threats condemnations, promises, and comfort

FIRST ISAIAH:ISAIAH OF JERUSALEM 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

“SINFUL NATION” 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

GOD’S MAJESTY AND GOODNESS 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’tReference 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!

A PUNISHMENT OF JUDAH’S OWN MAKING 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.

THE VINEYARD SONG:

A BROKENHEARTED

LOVER

1. Read Isaiah 5:1-72. Who is the betrayed

lover in this passage???

ISAIAH’S VISION & RESPONSE: “HERE I AM; SEND ME!”

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

ISAIAH’S VISION & RESPONSE: “HERE I AM; SEND ME!”

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???)

“HOLY, HOLY, HOLY!” A.K.A. SANCTUS OF THE MASS ( ANGELS’ HYMN)

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.

A CHILD WILL BE BORN: “GOD IS WITH US” 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.

THE FUTURE KING: A PERFECT PRINCE 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.

JERUSALEM IS SAVED FROM ASSYRIA 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.

JUDAH SAVED FROM ASSYRIA 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).

JUDAH FOREVER 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.

MICAH IN THE SOUTH:

SYMPATHY FROM THE BOTTOM OF SOCIETY

MICAH THE PROPHET 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)

MICAH: THE BOOK

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)

EXPLOITATION WILL BRING RUIN Micah mourns crimes of Israel and Judah Metaphor from Judah and Israel: “Jacob”

(just like Amos!)

BEAT SWORDS INTO PLOWSHARES

•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)

A GREAT SHEPHERD FROM BETHLEHEM

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.

WHAT GOD REQUIRES = SINCERITY OF THE

HUMAN HEART

THIS IS SHOWN THROUGH JUSTICE,

KINDNESS, AND HUMILITY. (MICAH 6:6-8)

IS ANYBODY LISTENING? 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.