In the prophetic picture God is represented as gathering the nations to Jerusalem (Joel 3:1, 2; Zephaniah 3:6-8; cf. This situation fits best the time prior to the rise of the Chaldean Empire under Nabopolassar, who began to reign in 626/25 B.C., and who, with the Medes, was responsible for the destruction of Assyria. Human traditions came to be honored in place of the revealed will of God (see on Mark 7:6-9). Unparalleled prosperity. After Jerusalems fall in 586, Nebuchadnezzar allowed Jeremiah to stay with the remnant of his people who were left in the country (chapter 40:1-6). The 7th-century view.This view holds that Joels ministry seems to fit into the early years of Josiah, when Assyrian power was nearing its end and Babylon was still a weak kingdom. Web1 God calls Jeremiah to be prophet in Judah. ), have never been and can never be fulfilled to them as a nation. Hosea was from the Northern Kingdom, Micah and Jeremiah were from the Southern kingdom. He says specifically that by Jew he does not mean a literal Jew but one converted at heart, whether he be Jew or Gentile (chapter 2:28, 29). It was probably at this time, when Daniel was nearly 90 years of age, that he was commanded to conclude his book and seal it up (chapter 12:4, 13). Did Isaiah 2. Most of them are mentioned in the Bible, in either the prophetic or the historical books. Had Israel measured up to the noble ideal, all of the promises contingent upon obedience would long since have been fulfilled. The following discussion sets forth the principles of interpretation described under 5, and followed by this commentary, together with the scriptural basis on which these principles rest. Before the Israelites entered the Promised Land, God warned them not to forget that the blessings they were to enjoy there if they cooperated with Him would come as divine gifts (see Deuteronomy 8:7-14), not primarily as the result of their own wisdom and skill (verses 17-19). A Jewish legend claims that he was stoned to death by his people. (This rule does not apply to those portions of the book of Daniel that the prophet was bidden to shut up and seal, or to other passages whose application Inspiration may have limited exclusively to our own time.). They would gather themselves together and come from far (Isaiah 49:18, 12, 6, 8, 9, 22; Psalms 102:22). Shortly after this event he once more rose to a high position of honor and responsibility in the newly formed Persian Empire (chapter 6). As the nations of antiquity should behold Israels unprecedented progress, their attention and interest would be aroused. Isaiah was the great forerunner of the writers. Several of the prophets messages are dated exactly, and the last of these dated prophetic messages was received in the 27th year of Ezekiels captivity (chapter 29:17), 571/70. Did Isaiah Without this, the people of Israel would not qualify to receive the material blessings God designed to bestow upon them. Ambassadors from one foreign country after another would come to discover, if they might, the great secret of Israels success as a nation, and its leaders would have the opportunity of directing the minds of their visitors to the Source of all good things. answer. The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. At the time of the Babylonian captivity God had specifically announced that that experience was not to mark a full end of Israel as Gods people (Jeremiah 4:27; 5:18; 46:28). The fundamental principle by which we can tell unerringly when any particular promise or prediction of the Old Testament made originally to literal Israel is to meet its fulfillment with respect to spiritual Israel iswhen a later inspired writer makes such an application of it. Accordingly, the covenant promises and privileges were all permanently transferred from literal to spiritual Israel (Romans 9:4; cf. The transition from literal Israel to spiritual Israel, or the Christian church, is the subject of Romans 9-11. Hosea 2:6-13). Ezekiel 38:16, 18-23; 39:1-7). ), success must and will comethrough Israel after the spirit. Joel 1:15; 2:1, 32) can hardly serve as evidence for either a late or an early date. Hosea. WebIsaiah's time, Babylonian exile, and return to exile 21 Q Where did Jeremiah live when he was called to be a prophet? Had Ezekiel Known Jeremiah Personally It is certain, however, that he lived and labored in the southern kingdom, and that his main prophecy dealt with Assyria in general and Nineveh in particular. Bible Taught It First The prophetess Huldah was a relative and contemporary of If these rules are consistently followed the resulting interpretation can be accepted with confidence. WebIn Judea: prophecy of Zephaniah, Jeremiah, Obadiah, and Habakkuk In Babylon: prophecy of Ezekiel. 2. Feebleness and disease were to disappear entirely from Israel as the result of strict adherence to healthful principles (see Exodus 15:26; Deuteronomy 7:13, 15; etc.). The following brief summaries contain the evidence on which the various prophets have been entered in the chronological positions in which they are found in the chart. Jeremiahs prayer occurs in a context and we would be remiss to consider the prayer apart from that context, which is, Jeremiahs obedience to some very difficult commands from God. When the Jews rejected Christ as the Messiah, God in turn rejected them and commissioned the Christian church as His chosen instrument for the salvation of the world (Matthew 28:19, 20; 2 Corinthians 5:18-20; 1 Peter 2:9, 10; etc.). In this case, he was an octogenarian. Isaiah 3:12; 9:16) meant the permanent, irrevocable cancellation of their special standing before God as a nation (cf. chapter 11:18). At times they had an import, not only for the age in which the prophet lived, but also for a day far future; in other words, they had a dual application. JEREMIAH Only when its leaders formally rejected the Messiah and declared before Pilate their allegiance to no king but Caesar (John 19:15) did Israel as a nation irrevocably withdraw from the covenant relationship and the theocracy. He was sawed in half, Menessah killed him. It was Gods design that the whole earth be prepared for the first advent of Christ, even as to-day the way is preparing for His second coming. Nation after nation would come over (Isaiah 45:14), that is, be joined with and cleave to the house of Jacob (chapter 14:1). Mark 7:9). Having declined, thus, to surrender themselves to God as His agents for the salvation of the human race, the Jews, as a nation, became agents of Satan for the destruction of the race. chapter 11:9, 10). All men would recognize that Israel stood in a special relationship to the God of heaven (Deuteronomy 7:6-14; 28:10; Jeremiah 16:20, 21). All three of these guys have overwhelming experience where they are called to be prophets. Baruch, son of Neriah. Long before Norman Podhoretz became one of the intellectual leaders of American neoconservatism, he was a student of Hebrew literature and a passionate reader of the By divine appointment the sacred writings were preserved, century after century, and Israel became their custodian (Amos 3:7; Romans 3:1, 2). Furthermore, Old Testament prophecy must first be examined in terms of its historical application to literal Israel before the validity of a derived application to spiritual Israel may be undertaken. The modernist school of interpretation denies the predictive element in prophecy altogether, arguing either that the predictions were written down after the events thus foretold took place or that such predictions reflected nothing more than the prophets hopes for the future, or those of his people. They interpreted prophecy in accordance with their selfish desires, because their ambitious hopes were fixed on worldly greatness. From the visible their minds were to be directed to the invisible, from the seen to the unseen, from the material to the spiritual, from the temporal to the eternal. 1 Peter 2:9, 10). Continuing faithfully under the following three kings, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah (chapter 1:1), he seems to have been fiercely hated by Manasseh, Hezekiahs wicked son. On the other hand, the destruction of Nineveh is described as an event still future (chapter 3:7). These are followed by chapters 7, 8, 9, 10. The completeness and finality of this rejection is evident from chapter 8:19, 20: As the nations which the Lord destroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish; because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the Lord your God. The rejection of Jesus by the leaders of Israel (cf. RLST 145 - Lecture 19 - Open Yale Courses Following this line of interpretation, some have gone to the extreme of proposing a Christian migration to Palestine. Although the Hebrew term naar, youth, or child, by which the prophet designates himself verse (6), does not give an indication of Jeremiahs exact age at the time of his call, the context of the passage in which this word appears seems to favor the interpretation that he was still very young, perhaps less than twenty. Isaiah would not have known about the events to come without Gods help. According to Jewish tradition Isaiah was sawn asunder. The postexilic view.The absence of any reference to a king of Judah or to Assyria or Babylon, the reference to the hostility of Tyre and Sidon, and the mention of Greeks have been taken by some commentators as evidence for a postexilic date for Joel. It would become an object lesson of the results of acting in harmony with moral, as with natural, law. What archaeological evidence implies Isaiah was a unified book? Hence, 640 B.C., about midway between the two limits, marked by the destruction of Thebes and the fall of Nineveh, would seem to be a reasonable conjectural date for Nahums prophetic ministry. The prophet Zephaniah traces his genealogy back to an important personage by the name of Hizkiah, probably King Hezekiah (the names are the same in Hebrew) of Judah. It should be remembered that God does not force the human will, and that Israels cooperation was essential to the success of His plan for the nation. Continued obedience was necessary to the continuance of divine favor, whereas persistent disobedience must inevitably culminate in the rejection of the Jewish nation as Gods chosen instrument for carrying out the divine plan (Deuteronomy 28:15-68). So what does it mean to "trust God"? TRUST (in God): a belief in Micah states that his ministry fell in the time of the kings Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah (chapter 1:1). WebJer 31:34. The earth would thus be rid of those who opposed God (Zechariah 14:12, 13). In these tragic events the words of Moses met their final and complete fulfillment: As the Lord rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the Lord will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goes to possess it. His book contains no direct to establish the time of his mission to Nineveh. It is not known whether Malachi is the name of the author or simply the title of an otherwise anonymous author, since Malachi means my messenger. If it is the latter, his is the only anonymous work among the prophetic books of the Old Testament. The Assyrian capital city of Nineveh was captured and destroyed by the combined forces of Media and Babylonia in 612 B.C., which is, accordingly, the latest possible date for Nahum. In his early prophecies, he spoke of an unidentified peril which was to come upon Jerusalem and God provided Israel with every facility for becoming the greatest nation on the earth. Those in Israel who put forth their best efforts to cooperate with the revealed will of God realized, personally, a measure of the benefits He had promised. Unfortunately, Nehemiahs second term as governor cannot be dated, which fact makes it also somewhat difficult to date Malachi. How did Jeremiah die Living in a crisis period of his nation, Jeremiah was called to proclaim many messages of reproof and solemn predictions of doom over his people for their disobedience. All nations of earth were to share in the blessings so generously bestowed upon Israel. 3. The short book of Obadiah, consisting of only 21 verses, is not dated and its chronological setting is uncertain. Emphasize to the children that the people at the time did not believe Isaiah. did Isaiah primarily live? We shall be protected against the grossly literal explanation of some expositors concerning the return of literal Israel to literal Palestine to rule the world for a thousand years prior to the close of human probation, and also against other equally unscriptural interpretations that propose to apply allegorically to the church all the details of the promises originally made to literal Israel. Spiritual prosperity was to prepare the way for material prosperity. Accordingly, the book can probably be dated about 425 B.C. There, he spent an unknown number of years before his return to Judea and his discovery of the abuses described in chapter 13. In Israel, there was sometimes more than one prophet, and sometimes there were many prophets. Remember thatgenerally speakingit was originally given with respect to the historical circumstances that called it forth. One royal visitor to Jerusalem exclaimed, The half was not told me! (1 Kings 10:1-9). Few passages of Scripture are more commonly misunderstood and variously interpreted than those containing the divine promises made to ancient Israel through the prophets. The response of the prophets is contrasted: Jeremiah is spontaneous and candid, while Ezekiel makes no spoken reply in the call narrative (pp. Jeremiah's Seventy Years Matthew 19:16, 17; 22:36-40). Many years later, in writing to the strangers, or Gentiles (1 Peter 1:1: see on Exodus 12:19, 43), as the elect of God (1 Peter 1:2), Peter refers to them as the chosen ones of God, a holy nation, a peculiar people (chapter 2:9), formerly not a people, but now the people of God (verse 10). No chronological data are given, but the prophet speaks of the fall of No (chapter 3:8) as an event of the past. Those who think that chapter 52 was added as an inspired postscript by Jeremiahs secretary or one of his disciples, believe that he died some 20 years earlier, about 580 B.C. The vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah son of Amoz saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings 2. Gods call to the nations would have been, Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth (Isaiah 45:22). WebJeremiah 15:1 Then the LORD said to me: "Even if Moses and Samuel should stand before Me, My heart would not go out to this people. Nehemiah 13:23-27). According to tradition, how was Isaiah killed? During the siege, reprobate Israelites would be slain by their foes (Zechariah 13:8; 14:2). WebEzekiels use of dramatic prophetic signs, his rejection of collective divine punishment and assertion of individual responsibility are discussed. 1. Accordingly, Abraham became in a special sense the Friend of God (James 2:23) and the father of all them that believe (Romans 4:11). He was therefore a somewhat younger contemporary of Isaiah, to whose vocabulary and terminology his prophecies show great similarity (Micah 4:1-4; cf. are longer and contain more pages and more chapters than the minor prophets). Even to the time of the fall of Jerusalem, Jeremiahs message remained the same: submit to the yoke of Babylonia. The following simple rules are suggested as a safe approach to the study of each prophetic passage of the Old Testament: 1. Even the heathen would recognize the superiority of those who served and worshiped the living God. By Which king? WebJeremiah is allowed to remain in Jerusalem. At the time of Isaiahs ministry, Judah was a sinful and unjust nation. Salvation was to be of the Jews, in that the Messiah would be a Jew (John 4:22), and by the Jews, as messengers of salvation to all men (Genesis 12:2, 3; 22:18; Isaiah 42:1, 6; 43:10; Galatians 3:8, 16, 18). Had Jerusalem known what it was her privilege to know, and heeded the light that Heaven sent her, she would have stood forth in magnificent prosperity, the queen of kingdoms, the mighty metropolis of the earth, and would, like a noble vine, have filled the face of the world with fruit (Isaiah 27:6). Obedience to the law of God would make them marvels of prosperity before the nations of the world, living witnesses to the greatness and majesty of God (Deuteronomy 8:17, 18; 28:11-13). The glory that distinguished the early part of the reign of Solomon was due in part to his own faithfulness during that time, and in part to the fact that his father David had seemed to appreciate fully Israels exalted privileges and responsibilities (see Psalms 51:10, 11; Isaiah 55:3; cf. The Temple was apparently rebuilt, and sacrifices were regularly offered at the time of the prophets activity (chapter 1:7-10). 1 Kings 8:41-43). Thereafter, God let out his vineyard [see Isaiah 5:1-7] unto other husbandmen who would render him the fruits in their seasons (see on Matthew 21:41). WebThe great prophet Jeremiah lived during one of the most critical periods in Jewish history. Yet the book contains no clear indication of the time in which the prophet lived. [1] The prophet received his call while still a young man, during the thirteenth year of King Josiahs reign, about 627 or 626 B.C. Their own characters were to be progressively ennobled and elevated, and to reflect more and more perfectly the attributes of the perfect character of God (Deuteronomy 4:9; 28:1, 13, 14; 30:9, 10). As the numbers of Israel increased, they were to enlarge their borders, until their kingdom should embrace the world (cf. One needs to keep these in mind to better understand the heart of Isaiah's message. WebISAIAH, DANIEL, AND ZECHARIAH We need to make a comparison between the three prophets, Isaiah, Daniel, and Zechariah, in two matters: in Gods economy toward His chosen people and in Christ for the people of His concern. With Him there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning (James 1:17). Profiles of Faith: Isaiah - A Prophet for The kingdom was overturned (Ezekiel 21:25-32) and the people removed from the land, which had been theirs only by virtue of the covenant relationship (Hosea 9:3, 15, Micah 2:10; cf. A Nebuchadnezzar 59 Q Isaiah Another reason to trust God is there is nothing too complicated for Him. Captivity, he said, had confirmed the curse that came because of disobedience (verses 11, 12) and Jerusalem lay desolate (verses 16-19). The ministry of Amos may therefore have fallen in the years 767-753 B.C. question. In general, Old Testament promises and predictions were addressed to literal Israel and were to have been fulfilled to them, conditional on obedience. As individuals and as a nation God proposed to furnish the people of Israel with every facility for becoming the greatest nation on the earth (see Deuteronomy 4:6-8; 7:6, 14; 28:1; Jeremiah 33:9; Malachi 3:12). He dies while in Egypt. 1 Kings 22:28). Jeremiah lived afterwards during a time leading up to the carrying away of the southern two tribes of Judah into bondage in Babylon. In Jeremiah, we see evidence of God elevating humble men like Jeremiah to become leaders precisely when they are needed. A comparison between some of his prophecies and those of Amos indicates that Hosea was a younger contemporary of Amos (cf. Any nation and kingdom that would not serve Israel was to perish chapter (60:12). In Abraham God found a man ready to yield unqualified obedience to the divine will (Genesis 26:5; Hebrews 11:8) and to cultivate a similar spirit in his posterity (Genesis 18:19). 19:21; Isaiah 46:10; Acts 5:39; Hebrews 6:17; etc. But Judah failed to learn the lesson, and a little more than a century later her apostasy, also, was complete (see Jeremiah 22:6, 8, 9; Ezekiel 16:37; 7:2-15; 12:3-28; 36:18-23). They blindly overlooked those scriptures that point to the humiliation of Christs first advent, and misapplied those that speak of the glory of His second coming. Finally, it was demonstrated before the universe that, apart from God, humanity could not be uplifted, and that a new element of life and power must be imparted by Him who made the world. When the catastrophe came, he lamented the terrible fate of his people in the Book of Eichah (Lamentations) which we read on Tisha B'Av. Rabbinic tradition has it that Isaiah's father, Amoz (not the same as Amos the prophet), was a brother of King Amaziah. See Deuteronomy 7:13; 28:2-8; Malachi 3:8-11. It was Gods design that the whole earth be prepared for the first advent of Christ, even as to-day the way is preparing for His second coming. 4. And he did so, walking naked and barefoot. The work of no other prophet can be dated so definitely as that of Haggai. That which God purposed to do for the world through Israel, the chosen nation, He will finally accomplish through His church on earth to-day. In the inspired utterances of the prophets of old the sincere seeker for truth will thus find messages of inspiration, comfort, and guidance for today. They are called minor prophets because their books are less in size (these books are all very small and contain few Eventually, all the nations would call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord and be gathered unto it, not to walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart (Jeremiah 3:17). Chronologically, Isaiah lived during a time just after the northern 10 tribes of Israel were destroyed by the Assyrians. Isaiah With the call of Abraham, God set in operation a definite plan for bringing the Messiah into the world and for presenting the gospel invitation to all men (Genesis 12:1-3). They were to show forth His praise (chapter 43:21), to declare His glory among the heathen (chapter 66:19), to be a light to the Gentiles (chapters 49:6; 42:6, 7). In fact, this procedure is responsible more than anything else for the fanciful interpretations that distinguish the teachings of certain religious groups.
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