Introduction to the Prophetic Books - Monergism Books

Prophetic Books1230(c. 660–630 b.c.) announced the end of Assyria’s tyranny,and Habakkuk (c. 640–609) explored the ways of God in thedays leading up to Babylon’s capturing of Judah. Of course,Jeremiah also worked during this century and well into thenext. He declared God’s word of repentance to Judah for atleast 40 years (627–587 b.c.; Jer. 1:1–3), decades that spannedfrom the period when Judah still had time to change itsways and avoid punishment, to the destruction of Jerusalemby Babylon in 587 and the subsequent exiling of thepeople. He repeatedly preached repentance, yet his mostfamous words are the promise of a future new covenantwith the house of Israel (Jer. 31:31–34; see Heb. 8:8–12).Sixth-century b.c. prophets lived under the shadowof exile. A few of them also lived during the shifting ofworld domination from Babylon to Persia, which occurredin 538 b.c. Daniel was taken to Babylon in 605 b.c.He worked there until at least 536 b.c. Ezekiel joined theexiles in Babylon in 597 b.c., where he wrote accounts ofvisions he received during 593–571. Both of these exilesenvisioned perilous times and future days of glory forGod’s people. Obadiah witnessed the terrors of Babylon’sinvasion of Judah in 587 b.c. Haggai and Zechariah wereamong the people allowed to return to Jerusalem fromPersia in 520–516 b.c. They participated in the rebuildingof the temple and looked forward to future glory for God’speople under the Messiah’s leadership.Malachi served during the fifth century b.c. A contemporaryof Ezra and Nehemiah (c. 460–425 b.c.), he experiencedthe problems associated with rebuilding Jerusalemand restoring faithful worship and covenantal obedience.Malachi identified flaws in the returned exiles’ commitmentto God, such as insincere worship, the failure of thepriests to teach God’s Word, and marital infidelity (Mal.1:6–2:16). He also predicted the coming of a new Elijahand the Messiah (Mal. 4:5–6). The book of Joel probablycomes from this period as well, as it makes no mentionof a king in Judah. Joel calls the people to repentance at atime of national calamity (a locust plague).Prophetic BooksLittle is known about the Prophetic Books’ compositionand preservation, though some helpful information maybe gleaned from the biblical text. For example, Isaiah haddisciples who were able to preserve his words (Isa. 8:16),and Jeremiah’s disciple Baruch was a scribe who wrotedown some of the prophet’s messages (Jer. 36:1–32). Manyprophets were probably able to write their own words (Isa.8:1–2; Jer. 1:4–19) since literacy was fairly widespread.The prophets’ words were originally copied on papyrusor leather scrolls that were passed on to future generationsby persons who valued them (Jer. 36:1–4). Several suchbooks existed at one time, for the author of 1–2 Chroniclesreports sources composed by or about prophets (1 Chron.29:29; 2 Chron. 9:29; 26:22). By Jeremiah’s time the prophecyof Micah had been handed down and was consideredauthoritative (Jer. 26:13, quoting Mic. 3:12). Accordingto the apocryphal book Sirach, by the second century b.c.(at the very latest) all the Prophetic Books were consideredauthoritative Scripture (see Sir. 48:22; 49:6, 8, 12;cf. 1 Macc. 2:60).Many types of literature appear in the Prophetic Books.There are narratives detailing what the prophets did andthe circumstances in which they received and deliveredtheir messages. There are also sermons, extended poems,dialogues between God and prophets, and visionary experiences.All of these forms reveal the great themes notedin the next section, and these themes provide the books’plot (or story line) and major characters.Unifying Themes in the Prophetic BooksThe Prophetic Books include most of the OT’s greatestthemes, preserving in written form for future generationsthe reasons Israel’s history happened as it did. Though theauthors wrote in different times and under different circumstances,their messages are in theological harmonywith one another and with other types of biblical books.Several interrelated ideas unify the prophetic message,making it possible for readers to find their bearings insome difficult literature. It is often helpful to decide whichof the following themes the biblical author is stressingwhen one becomes puzzled by the content of the books.First, the prophets assert that God has spoken through them.They clearly considered themselves God’s messengers andheralds, for they repeatedly preface their messages withthe phrase, “Thus says Yahweh.” In this way the prophetsare claiming that their books are the written word of God.Peter explains that the prophets “were carried along by theHoly Spirit” (2 Pet. 1:21). Just as God used Moses to writeand preach so that Israel could know God’s will in his era,so God used the prophets in their generations. The prophetsdeclared God’s instructions in two basic ways: word andsymbol. Usually the prophets presented God’s word orally(e.g., Jer. 7:1–8:3) or in written form (e.g., Jer. 36:1–32) tovarying types and sizes of audiences. Occasionally they performedsymbolic acts that demonstrated God’s purposes.For example, Isaiah went naked and barefoot for threeyears to teach God’s people their future if they continuedto seek help from other nations rather than from God (Isa.20:1–6). Perhaps the saddest case of symbolic prophecy wasHosea’s marriage to unfaithful Gomer, which portrayedGod’s relationship with unfaithful Israel (Hosea 1–3).Second, the prophets affirm that God chose Israel for covenantrelationship. The Pentateuch (the first five books of the OT)teaches that God chose Abraham and his family to bless allnations (Gen. 12:1–9), that he revealed salvation by graceto Abraham (Gen. 15:6), and that he assigned Moses towrite a record of this revelation (Ex. 24:4). Furthermore,through Moses in Exodus–Deuteronomy he revealed thelifestyle that reflects that relationship. With these truthsin mind, the prophets addressed Israel as a people withspecial responsibilities based on this special relationship(Jeremiah 2–6; Hosea 1–3; Amos 2:6–3:8; etc.). Throughthe prophets God revealed the success and failure of Israel’sattempts or lack of attempts to fulfill their confession offaith in God and their God-given role as a kingdom ofpriests charged with serving the nations (see Ex. 19:5–6).Third, sadly, the prophets most often report that the majorityof Israel has sinned against their God and his standards fortheir relationship. They have failed to trust God (Isa. 7:1–14).Thus, they have broken the Ten Commandments (cf. Ex.20:1–17 and Jer. 7:1–15; Hos. 4:2). They have worshipedother gods (Ezek. 8:1–18). They have mistreated one anotherand failed to preserve justice among God’s people(Isa. 1:21–31). They have refused to repent (Amos 4:6–11).Of course, in these times there was always a faithful minority,called the “remnant” (see Isa. 4:3; 10:20–22; etc.),as the prophets’ ministries themselves demonstrate (seeHebrews 11).

Prophetic Books1232for pronouns; and (4) obscurity in a passage beyond simplyits pronouns. Also, (5) an author might be addressing thepeople as a whole (personified as a single “you”). The followingare examples for each scenario.(1) Who is “he” in Zechariah 10:11? The Lord speaks as “I”on either side of this verse; ancient versions and commentatorsoften read “they” here, to link back to the last word ofZechariah 10:10. However, the context suggests that theaction of Zechariah 10:10 belongs to the Lord, and in Zechariah10:12b, the Lord’s own voice seems to refer to himselfin the third person (“his name”). Here the prophet’s voiceand the Lord’s seem fused, and in spite of changing between“I” and “he/him,” the reference is consistently to God.(2) Who is “us” in Isaiah 41:22? The first-person pluralreference continues in Isaiah 41:23, and then reappearsin Isaiah 41:26, but never with an explicit referent. Here,help comes from the wider context. The setting is the divinecourtroom (“set forth your case,” Isa. 41:21), and this is introducedat Isaiah 41:1 (“let us draw near for judgment”), so“us” in Isaiah 41:22 remains the members of the divine courtwho are hearing the case against the idols of Isaiah 41:7.(3) Who is “her” in Micah 7:10? The answer partly dependson who is “me” in Micah 7:8. “My enemy” in Micah7:8, 10 is grammatically feminine (Hb. ’oyabti), and so isthe antecedent for “her” in Micah 7:10. It is likely, then,that the first-person voice is also feminine (cf. Mic. 6:9;7:11)—Jerusalem personified. In biblical convention, citiesare referred to as feminine and nations as masculine—unlike modern English usage in which cities are normallyneuter (“it”) and nations are feminine.(4) A genuine difficulty is the “they” (fem.) reference ofEzekiel 30:17, represented in the esv by “women” but witha textual note, “Or the cities; Hebrew they.” The translationadopted in the text takes its cue from “young men” inEzekiel 30:17a and “daughters” of Ezekiel 30:18b. “Cities”remains possible (see example 3), as “On” and “Pi-beseth”are the closest immediate antecedents in context.(5) The prophets can personify God’s people, viewedcorporately, as if a single person. In Isaiah 41:8–10, “you”(masculine singular) refers to “Jacob,” the whole peopleportrayed as God’s “servant” (to accomplish his purposesfor the world). It is to the people viewed corporately thatGod promises, “I will strengthen you, I will help you, I willuphold you” (Isa. 41:10). Similarly, in Isaiah 49:15–16, Godaddresses “you” (this time feminine singular), a personificationof Zion (Isa. 49:14), representing the whole people(see also Isa. 54:1–17).Awareness of these possibilities should assist the readerin untangling some of the pronoun references that mightinitially seem difficult to understand.Activity of the Writing Prophets during the Reigns of the Kings of Israel and JudahTimeline King of Judah // Event Prophet to Judah Prophet to Israel King of Israel // Event780 B.C. Jeroboam II (781–753)770760 Uzziah (c. 760) (c. 760)(Azariah) Amos Jonah(767–740)(c. 755)Hosea Zechariah (753–752)Shallum (752)750 Jotham Menahem (752–742)(750–735) Micah (c. 742) Isaiah (c. 740) Pekahiah (742–740)740 Pekah (740–732)Ahaz (735–715) Hoshea (732–722)730720 Fall of Samaria (722)710 Hezekiah (715–686)700680 Manasseh (686–642) Nahum (c. 660–630)660 Amon (642–640) Major prophets640 Josiah (640–609) Zephaniah (c. 640–609)Habakkuk (c. 640–609)620 (c. 627)600 JeremiahJehoahaz (609)Jehoiakim (609–597) (c. 605)Jehoiachin (597)DanielZedekiah (597–586) (c. 597)Fall of Jerusalem (586) Obadiah(after 586)580560540520 1st return of exiles (538) Haggai (c. 520)Temple rebuilt (516/515) Zechariah (c. 520)500480460 2nd return of exiles (458) Malachi (c. 460)440 3rd return of exiles (445)EzekielMinor prophetsJoel is not displayed as the dates areuncertain and estimates range from the9th to the 4th centuries B.C.Micah’s prophecy was likely directedtoward both Judah and Israel.