Prophetic Books Flashcards
(31 cards)
last part of the Old Testament books
Prophetic Books
Men called by God to speak His word to the people, interpreting their present situation in the sight of God and telling them what He would do to them
Prophets
Interpret the signs of the times in human life and
indicates what God is saying to us through those
signs.
Prophets
In Israel, they were called and appointed by Yahweh as communicators of His will to Israel, particularly
reminding them of their covenant relationship with their God, and reprimanding them to turn away from their sins and repent.
Prophets
They receive their calling through visions, dreams and audible encounters. In turn, they used a variety of means to deliver the Lord’s message, including oracles, sermons, writings and parables.
Prophet
Remind us of God’s message. They callthe people back to God. Speak on behalf of God
Prophets
Addresses problems concerning the fidelity of Israel to the covenant. They inform and form the consciences of the people.
Prophets
The calling of a Prophet: Whenever they spoke to the people, it is indicated that the words they delivered were not the products of their own opinion or reflection. It is always preceded by these words:
“Thus says the Lord’ or “Thus says God, the Lord.”
The calling of the Prophet follows a pattern:
(1) God calls
(2) but the one who is called refuses on account of his hesitation or sense of unworthiness.
Then, the Lord (3) reveals his task for the prophet, and
(4) pledges his assurance of company and protection of the prophet.
Only then, the prophet (5) embraces his vocation and is sent to his mission.
8th Century Prophets
Amos, Hosea, Isaiah of Jerusalem, Micah
spoke of the “dark day of the Lord” wherein Israel and Judah will be punished but he concluded his prophecy with a message of hope through the restoration of the Davidic kingdom
Amos
Hosea’s adulterous wife
Gomer
He warned Israel of her infidelity by worshipping the Baals, as it was beautifully paralleled with the unfaithfulness of Hosea’s adulterous wife, Gomer, but ended his message with Yahweh’s unconditional love and pardon for the sinfulness of Israel, as shown by the forgiveness of the prostitute Gomer.
Hosea
condemned the alliance entered by the King of Judah to the pagan Assyrian king
Isaiah of Jerusalem
“attacked the rich exploiters of the poor, fraudulent merchants, venal judges, corrupt priests and prophets but at the same time prophesied for
the survival and restoration of Judah, and finally spoke of a descendant of David who would become the Christos, the Anointed One who will redeem all of Israel and Judah.
Micah
6th Century Prophets
Jeremiah, Obadiah, Ezekiel, Haggai and Zechariah
explicitly condemned the abuses of idolatry and infidelity of Judah. He announced that the tragic consequence of thesinfulness of Judah is to be exiled in Babylon for 70 years. However, He assured Judah that Yahweh will not abandon them in their place of exile and pledged for the return of the faithful remnant to their homeland in Judah.
Jeremiah
He prophesied against Edom but emphasized the survival of Mt. Zion.
Obadiah
He was deported to Babylon. There, he labored to remind his fellowmen not to succumb to paganism in order to preserve the remnants from apostacy, destroy the false hopes of an early return to Jerusalem, comfort the captives and assure them of their restorarion, and emphasize the lessons of personal accountability.
Ezekiel
They emerged after the Babylonian exile. They called the people to rebuild the temple but they became preoccupied with their own concerns and affairs. Hence, the emphasis of the prophets’ message focused on fulfilling and prioritizing the duties towards Yahweh rather than be engrossed with the promises of material comfort and reward.
Haggai and Zechariah
7th Century Prophets
Zephaniah, Nahum, Habakkuk
condemned the resurgence of blatant idolatry and
blasphemy in Judah and fearlessly delivered the message of doom and judgement. But like the prophets of old, he consistently promised for the purification and redemption of the punished people. He relayed to the people the certainty that Judah shall fall under the hand of strong pagan nation, the Babylonians, but leave a message of hope that Yahweh will redeem them and gather them again in their homeland.
Zephaniah
He prophesied against the wicked city of Nineveh, and its fall under a mightier Babylonian empire. Such prophecy was seen as divine vengeance against the brutal empire of Assyria. Despite the portrayal of Yahweh as an avenger of sin and wickedness, the prophet still gave Nineveh the reminder of Yahweh’s forgiveness and mercy by calling them to repentance.
Nahum
He condemned the discord and evil of idolatry prevalent in Judah at that time. He questioned Yahweh for the violence that will follow but ended up with his complaints transformed into trust in God’s deliverance of the righteous.
Habakkuk
