Amos Zephaniah Jeremiah Haggai. Hosea Nahum Obadiah Zechariah. Isaiah of Jerusalem Habbakuk Ezekiel Third Isaiah. Micah Second Isaiah Joel

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1 Assyrian Crisis 8 th century Decline of Assyrians & Rise of Babylonians 7 th Babylonian Exile late 6 th century Post-Exilic Community Late 6 th and 5 th c Amos Zephaniah Jeremiah Haggai Hosea Nahum Obadiah Zechariah Isaiah of Jerusalem Habbakuk Ezekiel Third Isaiah Micah Second Isaiah Joel Malachi Jonah I. Background Information to Latter Prophets a. What is a Prophet? i. Common conception of a prophet is not the same idea as biblical prophet ii. Biblical prophets more concerned with encouraging people to follow the way of the Torah iii. More forthtellers than foretellers b. Prophecy as a Social Phenomenon i. Every human culture gives evidence of techniques or abilities to communicate with a spirit world ii. Spirit world realm beyond ordinary everyday world of time and space 1. Communications may be through 1) Innate talent e.g. shamans 2) Manipulation e.g. 3) Priests 4) Soothsayers 5) Fortune tellers 6) Spirit mediums 7) Augurs ii. Biblical Prophetic Writings indicate similar awareness 1. E.g. the hand of the Lord upon him indicates a shamanlike possession 2. Prophets found themselves in court of the Lord (1 Kings 22) 3. Emphasis on more shamanlike response c. Prophetic Behavior Often controversial i. Prophets carried messages from divine realm to earthly realm ii. Considered more reliable than omens, lots, or auguries d. The Job of the Prophet 1

2 II. i. Through power of words (blessings and curses) a more discursive communication with the Lord was sought ii. Institutionalized prophets 1. Cultic prophets 2. Royal prophets 3. Sons of the prophets e. A Maverick Minority with Divine Authority i. Those mentioned in the Bible as compared to the entire profession that flourished in ancient Israel ii. Biblical prophets were mediators to spirit world AND advocates of the Mosaic covenant between the Lord and Israel iii. Interceded to God on behalf of Israel iv. Denounced veneration of other gods v. Demanded justice on earth as made explicit in Torah vi. Brought messages of warning if covenant abuse continued f. Some Important Ideas to Keep in Mind i. Daniel is included as a prophetic book in the Christian OT but it is in the Kethuvim for Jews. ii. Oracles refer to a saying announcing a message from the Lord, Thus says the Lord iii. The prophets were spokespersons for the Lord to address specific situations in the life the nation especially in light of the requirements of Israel s covenant with god iv. The prophets were more concerned with correct practice, behavior, orthopraxis v. they were frustrated with the people touting their beliefs but not living up to them (correct belief needed to be followed up with correct behavior ( walk the talk idea) (see Amos below) vi. What is the relationship between the Mosaic Covenant and the Latter prophets? 1. They do not mention the Torah but they do defend the general principles of faithfulness to Yahweh and social justice that the torah also defends. Prophetic Speech and Prophetic Literature a. Call narrative b. Visions c. Symbolic actions d. Dramatic encounters with kings e. Persecution of the prophet f. Poetry g. Prophetic Oracles h. Announces a message of the Lord i. Oracle of judgment most common 2

3 III. IV. j. Admonitions to repentance k. Future deliverance l. Woe oracle m. Covenant lawsuit n. Lament of the individual o. Doxologies Prophetic Poetry a. Rich in imagery b. Refers to ancient myths c. Uses poetic devices such as d. Alliteration e. Assonance f. paronomasia Prophetic Themes: Covenant, Judgment, Redemption a. These are the predominant themes throughout prophetic writings b. Biblical prophets saw themselves as covenant advocates or mediators c. Covenant i. Israel is a chosen people ii. Divine expectations for Israel are more rigid iii. Lord s attitude is hesed or steadfast love, devotion, faithfulness d. Judgment i. Rebellion of Israel leads to punishment ii. Prophets still call for repentance in spite of inevitable punishment iii. Perhaps a remnant will be saved e. Redemption i. Prophets looked to future time of restoration or new beginning ii. Sometimes prophets envision an age of universal peace V. Assyrian Crisis: Eighth Century: Amos, Hosea, Isaiah of Jerusalem & Micah a. Amos i. Attacks Israel s ruling class because despite having great wealth, the powerful exploit the poor ii. Stressed that ethical conduct is more important than correct ritual iii. From the south yet pronounced judgment on the Northern kingdom iv. Visions he uses: plague of locusts, bowl of summer fruit, wall and plumb line v. Day of Yahweh will be a day of great suffering if the people do not change their ways b. Hosea i. The Problem 1. The Sin of Jeroboam 2. The Sin of Jehu ii. The Symptoms of the Problem 3

4 1. The Adulterous Look (2:2--23) 2. Proverbs 7: Jeremiah 3:1-5 iii. The Characteristics of the Adultress 1. Not Recognizing God As The Source Of Life 2. Dryness 3. Pride 4. Expecting God To Bless Us 5. Anger - Blaming God iv. The Solution 1. Stop depending on our own resources 2. Start depending on God 3. Hosea's Message (4:1-14:9) 4. Israel's Unfaithfulness and Resulting Judgment (4-13) 5. Israel's Restoration - God's Love and Mercy (14:) 6. Israel's Unfaithfulness and Resulting Judgment (4-13) 7. No knowledge of God (4:1-5:15) 8. No loyalty-love (6:1-11:11) 9. No Faithfulness (11:12-13:16) 10. Israel's Restoration - God's Love and Mercy c. Isaiah of Jerusalem i. The Isaiah Anthology: Not all material from one 8 th c prophet ii. School of disciples of Isaiah lasted for 300 years + iii. First Isaiah 1-39 iv Isaiah s call, his analysis of the sin of Judah and Jerusalem; his prophecies against them v. Oracle against Foreign Nations judgment against other nations vi Apocalypse of Isaiah prophecies concerning Judah future of Zion vii history of Assyrian crisis d. Micah i. A unique thing about Micah s prophesying is that he is sharply critical of the Davidic dynasty and the Temple cult ii. He too, however, espoused the cause of the village peasant VI. Decline of Assyrians & Rise of Babylonians, 7 th c: Zephaniah, Nahum, & Habbukuk a. Zephaniah i. Themes: Judgment in the Day of the Lord; The Remnant ii. The Day of the Lord 1. God s Intervention 4

5 2. A Time of Judgment 3. A Time of Salvation iii. The Remnant 1. Divine Judgment 2. Salvation 3. Their Character a. Humble b. Committed to God c. Ethical Treatment of Others b. Nahum i. Nineveh s Doom Declared - The Judge ii. Nineveh s Doom Described - The Judgment iii. Nineveh s Doom Deserved - The Justification c. Habbukuk i. Habakkuk s Question (1:2-4) 1. Why does evil go unpunished? 2. Why do the wicked prosper? 3. Why doesn t God do something? ii. God s Answer (1:5-11) 1. God is doing something. 2. He is raising up a foreign nation, the Babylonians, to come and destroy Judah. iii. Principles 1. God sometimes seems to be inactive, but He is involved. 2. God is holy. He does not approve evil. 3. God hears and answers prayers. 4. God sometimes gives unexpected answers. 5. God is Just and God is Good. 6. The righteous live by faith and faithfulness. iv. Message of Habakkuk 1. Trust in God when living in the midst of a wicked society because God is in control. VII. Babylonian Exile late 6 th c: Jeremiah, Obadiah, Second Isaiah, Ezekiel a. Jeremiah i. Jeremiah was rejected and condemned as a traitor ii. Yet, in his prophesying to the exiles he offered them hope by saying that even if the holy city and all other national religious symbols were destroyed, God would still be present with those who serve him iii. Temple Sermon (Jer 7) is mentioned in Intro; harsh words of judgment 1. Worship was central to Israel's religious life. A good deal of the Torah, as well as later writings, define proper worship. This includes the proper 5

6 rituals, the authorized personnel, and the implements used in worship. Much of Samuel, Kings, and especially Chronicles, deals with defining and justifying notions of formal religion by illustrating them out of the life of Israel and Judah. Most of the time this meant promoting a form of worship centered in Jerusalem on Mount Zion. Jeremiah was one of the few prophetic voices challenging the orthodoxy of Zionist theology, which defined the "right" shape of worship to the religious and political establishment. In his temple address, as recorded in chapter 7, he brought an opposing perspective to bear on the function of the temple and worship on Mount Zion. From the parallel passage in Jeremiah 26 we learn that the sermon was given in 609 B.C.E. at the beginning of Jehoiakim's reign. Jeremiah delivered these words in the temple courtyard Hear the word of YHWH, all you people of Judah who enter these gates to worship YHWH. 3 Thus says YHWH of Hosts, the Elohim of Israel: Reform your ways and your activity, and then I will let you live in this place. 4 Do not trust in these deceptive words--this is the temple of YHWH, the temple of YHWH, the temple of YHWH. 5 But if you reform your ways and your activity, genuinely act justly with each other, 6 do not oppress the resident-alien, the orphan or the widow, shed innocent blood here, or go after other gods (which can only hurt you), 7 then I will let you live in this place, here in the land that I gave your parents in perpetuity a long time ago. 8 Right now you are putting your faith in misleading words (This is the temple of YHWH!) but to no avail. 9 Would you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, go after other gods you do not know 10 and then come and stand before me in this temple, the one called by my name, and say 'We are safe'--only to keep on doing these travesties?! 11 Has this house, the one called by my name, become a den of thieves in your opinion? Right now it appears that way to me," says YHWH. 12 "Then go now to my place that was once in Shiloh. That's where I first housed my name. See what I did to it as a result of the wickedness of my people Israel. 13 Now, because you have done these things," says YHWH (and though I spoke to you persistently you would not listen, when I called you, you would not answer) 14 "therefore I will do to the house now identified with me--the one in which you trust, the place I gave to you and to your ancestors--just what I did to Shiloh. 15 I will cast you out of my sight, just as I cast out your cousins, all the descendants of Ephraim." (7:1-15) 3. It is rather easy to see why Jeremiah was not welcomed with a warm hug and a handshake after that speech. He roundly condemned the Judean people for putting their faith in the temple. But why? Two reasons. First, Jeremiah claimed that the people were immoral, 6

7 and given their immorality, nothing could save them, not even their sacred temple. Second, it seems the people viewed the temple almost superstitiously. They thought that the temple conferred automatic security. Official Jerusalemite theology claimed that Yahweh lived in the temple, and as long as he was there nothing tragic could ever affect Judah. Historical precedent backed them up in this belief. When Sennacherib surrounded Jerusalem in 701, Yahweh miraculously delivered the city, no doubt, they thought, because he lived there. iv. Book of Comfort (Jer 30-33) 1. The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the LORD. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, Know the LORD, for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more. Jer 31: Jeremiah s Book of Comfort which comprises chapters was written to give hope to God s people in exile in Babylon. God s prophet had warned of wrath for the people s sinfulness for years. The days he warned of had dawned. During a series of deportations, many Jews were exiled to Babylon and the temple was destroyed. Eventually Jeremiah himself would be forced to flee Jerusalem and was taken by friends to refuge in Egypt. The Book of Comfort s tone is a shift from his earlier proclamations. Now words of comfort come to the exiles. Words of hope and restoration. b. Obadiah i. The Inevitability of Destruction (1-9) ii. The Reason for Destruction (10-14) iii. The Day of the Lord (15-21) iv. Obadiah - Conclusion and Application 1. Pride deceives and leads to more sin. 2. Sin follows a downward path. 3. God will keep His word. 4. God will punish sin. 5. God will protect His own. 7

8 c. Ezekiel i. Offered a view of responsibility that was a challenge to the people s moral understanding: 1. Now that the nation is gone, Yahweh will no longer punish the people collectively; each person will be responsible only for his or her own sin. ii. Post-exilic; s BCE iii. Controversy about canonicity iv. Exhibits extraordinary behaviors, symbolic actions than any other prophet v. Like Jeremiah, his career reaches a turning point with the fall of Jerusalem vi oracles denouncing sins of Judah and Israel vii oracles against foreign nations viii oracles of hope ix idealized plan for Temple reconstruction d. Second Isaiah i. Historical clues set this block apart from earlier chapters ii. Speaking near the end of Babylonian Exile iii. Theme of hope replaces mood of doom iv. Long, complex poems v. Continues themes of Holiness of the Lord, Monotheism vi. Known for its Servant Songs which serve to 1. Develop Israel s identity of itself 2. Develops understanding of suffering 3. Influences later Christian thought VIII. Post-Exilic Community: Late 6 th and Early 5 th c: Haggai, Zechariah, Third Isaiah, Joel, Malachi, Jonah a. Haggai i. Haggai - Messages 1. The work of the Lord should never be procrastinated (1:3) 2. Misplaced priorities hinder the work of God (1:4,9) 3. The goal of God s work is His glory and pleasure. (1:8) 4. God sometimes uses natural disasters for spiritual discipline (1:6,10,11) 5. Obedience and reverence are prerequisites for spiritual blessing (1:12-14) 6. It is never too late to start obeying God (1:12-15) b. Zechariah i. Four Ethical Messages 1. The Message of Rebuke 7: The Message of Remembrance 7: The Message of Restoration 8: The Message of Return 8:

9 c. Third Isaiah i. Set apart more distinctly due to literary style ii. Unified by common historical setting iii. Post-exilic Jerusalem iv. Most in classical prophetic style except for concluding oracle which exhibits an apocalyptic flavor (66:22-23) d. Joel i. Destruction - 1:1-2:11; Call for Repentance 2:12-17; Deliverance - 2:18-3:21 ii. Destruction 1. Extent of Destruction by locusts (2-7) 2. People's response to the present devastation (8-20) a. Mourning (8-12) b. Fasting (13-14) c. Suffering (15-20) 3. Description of future devastation and the Lord's army (2:1-11) iii. Call for Repentance 2: Exhortation - Repent 2. Positive Motivation - God May Relent cf. Isa 55:8 iv. Deliverance - 2:18-3:21: God's response to repentance 1. Pity - 18 God is a God of mercy. 2. Plenty God is generous with His blessings. 3. Plenty 4. Restoration of crops (19a) and cessation of shame (19b) 5. Invasion averted (20) 6. Praise and exhortation (21-24) 7. Effects of locust invasion reversed (25) 8. Restoration of crops (26a) and cessation of shame (26b-27) e. Malachi i. Six questions / Six answers 1. How have you loved us? 2. How have we despised your name? 3. How have we wearied Him? 4. How shall we return? 5. How have we robbed Thee? 6. What have we spoken against Him? ii. The Answers 1. God affirms love for Israel 2. focuses on the neglect of priests and people who brought second rate sacrifices 3. showed how their bad relationship with God carried over into the community through the practice of divorce and remarriage to foreigners 9

10 4. people mistook God s patience for lack of divine justice 5. their tithes and offerings were affected by their attitudes 6. shows their arrogance and shortsightedness in neglecting a God honoring lifestyle f. Jonah i. Jonah is set around at the time of King Jeroboam the second, fairly early on in the history of Israel. ii. It tells the story of Jonah being sent to the people of Nineveh, but it isn't really about the message Jonah gave. iii. In fact, all we know about what he taught to Nineveh is one sentence: 1. "Yet 40 days and Nineveh will be overthrown." iv. There are two fairly obvious themes in Jonah: 1. the repentance of Nineveh 2. the repentance of Jonah v. In the course of the book we see both repenting, and we see both being forgiven. vi. Jonah: disobeys, prays, obeys, and learns vii. The book of Jonah shows us three things: 1. God forgives repentant individuals. 2. God forgives repentant nations 3. God calls out to all who will listen, not just those from a particular background. 10