Backdrop to the prophets: Old Testament historical narrative

What is a prophet?

• Deuteronomy 18:9-22.

• Prohibition against occultism

• Pagan prophets used incantation, divination to conjure a sign

• God initiates revelation to the biblical prophet

• Prophets will be given once in the land

• A legacy of prophecy (Gen. 37; 49:10; Num. 24…)

• Leadership and direction continues to come from God

• Prophets speak for God

• Visions (Amos 7:1)

• The word of the Lord came to me saying (Ezek. 28:1)

• Dreams and interpretations (Daniel 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10)

• Visions and interpretation (Amos 8:1—3; Zech. 5:1—11)

• Testing prophets: doctrinal and factual

• Prophecy: the Bible's self defense (Is. 41:22,23,26, 42:9, 43:9,10, 44:7,8, 45:21, 46:10,11, 48:5)

• Covenant enforcers. The writing prophets emerged in the early days of the divided monarchy God raised them up to communicate his will to a people who were no longer obedient to the Law, and were being led by kings who were no longer ruling as a servant of the Lord.

Who were the prophets? (see Abraham Heschel, The Prophets, v.1)

• Sensitivity to evil (Is. 32:11; Hos. 6:4)

• Society accommodates evil, becoming callous to it

 

• Prophets sensitize people to their true spiritual state

• Confront violations of covenant—preachers of social reform

• Superficial religion (Hos. 6:6; Is. 29:13)

 

• Materialism, power and the wisdom of the world (Jer. 9:23, 24)

• Social injustice (Is. 10:2)

 

• Apostate religion (Jer. 2:8; 7:9, 10)

• Burdened by their calling

• Rejected as a sign of the peoples’ response to God (Jer. 26:7—15)

 

• Martyred (Heb. 11:37)

 

• Despairing (Jer. 20:14—18)

• Not selective

• Important role guiding kings (2 Kings 19)

 

• No one escaped prophetic denunciation

• Speak with divine authority

• Prophets are called by God (Ezek. 3:1—15)

 

• Speak under divine inspiration and authority: "Thus says the Lord…"

• Lived in the horror and joy of their visions

• Represented the humiliation of the people (Micah 2:8; cf Is. 20)

 

Hosea’s fateful marriage—an historical allegory of Israel Reason for the marriage (1:2)     Names of the children (1:3—9)     Unfaithful and unknowing Gomer (2:1—13)     Hosea pursues and redeems his wife (2:14—3:5)     The children are redeemed (1:10, 11; 2:1, 23)

• Prophets pronounced the triumph of God’s kingdom (Is. 52:7—10)

• Historical context vital to interpretation

• Name and family of the prophet

• Time of ministry in terms of Judah/Israel monarchy (see Kings/Chron.)

• Like scenes in narrative, or paragraph in a letter—the main structural element

• Oracles are messages from the Lord

Recognizing oracles—some common textual clues

• Change in audience, time/situation, subject

• Introduction formula

• 8 times the expression "for three transgressions and four, I will…"

• Amos 3—5

• Imperative to "hear" occurs as an introduction to the sets of oracles (3:1; 4:1; 5:1)

• Concept of repetition also relates to the structure of the individual oracle:

• "Yet you have not returned to Me" 5 times in ch. 4, ending with "prepare to meet your God"

• "Seek…that you may live" in Amos 5

• Amos 6

• "Woe" introduces the prophecy of ch. 6

• Amos 7—9

• A series of five visions with response introduced by "Thus the Lord God showed me…" (7:1, 4, 7; 8:1; 9:1)

• Denunciations

• To the nations based on their brutality or posture toward Israel

• Amos 1:3, 6, 9,11, 13, 2:1

• Set of offenses based on the Law

• God’s "case" against his people (Hosea 4:1; 12:2; Micah 6:1—5)

• Amos 2:4, 6—8; 4:6—8; 7:7—9; 8:4—6

• Denunciation often joined with judgment oracles

• What God will do—

• To the nations who oppress God’s people

• They will be shattered (Amos 1)

• To Israel and Judah for the guilty verdict (see Leviticus 26:14—39)

• Judah:

• Jerusalem to be destroyed (Amos 2:5)

• People deported (Amos 6:7)

• Israel:

• Samaria destroyed (Amos 3:11—15)

• People deported (Amos 4:2,3; 5:27)

• Note: Judgments are conditional, depending on response to denunciations

• See Jeremiah 18:5—12; Jonah 4:2; (1 Kings 21:20—29)

• Amos 7:1—6

• Sometimes the prophet summons the audience to repent

• God is faithful to his promises

• Amos 9:11

• Future blessing of God’s people after their time of judgment cast in terms of covenant blessing of Torah—resettlement: abundance in the land

• Extending God’s salvation plan—to the end of history

• Amos 9:12b—15

• Universal

• God’s endless rule through Israel

• Peace

• Abundance

• Justice

• judgments

• Often difficult to determine short term blessing (resettlement) from eschatological promise

• Imagery of resettlement blessing is like imagery of God’s eternal rule

• Prophet receives words from God or visions as though they are one event—double exposure

Assignment: