old testament survey. old testament survey the major prophets
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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?
OLD TESTAMENT SURVEY