Chapter 8 The Fall of Judah and the Babylonian Exile Key Terms: ► Acrostics ► Allegories ► Social Justice ► Exile ► Kingdom of Judea ► Babylonian Exile

Patterns of Expression found in Prophetic Literature 1. Warnings of doom 2. Encouragement and consolation – explained that if the people returned to God and persevered through the hard times ahead, they would see the eventual restoration of God’s people

Prophets Minor Prophets  Nahum  Micah  Habakkuk  Zephaniah Major Prophets  Isaiah  Jeremiah  Ezekiel The title major and minor refers to the length of their books of prophecy

Ezekiel ► Received his calling during the Babylonian Exile ► Both a priest and prophet ► Earned the title “The Father of Judaism” ► Ezekiel was called to foretell God's faithfulness in the midst of trials, as well as in the fulfillment of His promises.

Habakkuk ► Questioned God’s ways of governing the world ► Said that Babylon was the correcting rod, the Lord’s avenging instrument ► The first section opens with Habakkuk mourning to God over the wickedness of the land, and the persistent oppression of the just by the wicked, so that there is neither law nor justice in Judea ► The 2 nd section is a theophany in which Yahweh appears for no other purpose than the salvation of His people and the ruin of His enemies

Jeremiah ► Was both a priest and prophet ► Called by God as a young boy ► Teaches his lessons by using objects ► Condemns those who think God will overlook their sin because they come to the temple ► The 1st section of his book are discourses threatening punishment which are aimed directly against Judea and are intermingled with narratives of personal and national events ► The 2 nd section of his book are discourses containing threats against nine heathen nations and intended to warn Judea indirectly against the polytheism and policy of these peoples.

Isaiah ► Considered the greatest prophet of the Old Testament ► Prophecy spanned the reign of five kings of Judah ► Prophecy bridges the gap between the sins of humans and the call of God ► Spoke of “remnant,” a portion of people who will be spared of God’s punishment because they remained faithful to God’s covenant ► A personal faith calls the individual to yearn for a relationship with his or her Creator and to live in obedience to God’s will, to live justly.

Second Isaiah or Deutero-Isaiah ► Anonymous authorship of chapters, most likely composed by disciples of Isaiah ► Acknowledged Cyrus as an agent of God’s plan for Israel – Called him “anointed one” ► Promises a deliverance based on the end of time

Nahum ►S►S►S►Spoke directly of the events surrounding the fall of Assyria’s most important city, Nineveh ►G►G►G►God would act exclusively on behalf of Judah in order to realize the hope of Israel ►P►P►P►Portrayed God as the avenger, but with mercy

Micah ►C►C►C►Contemporary of Isaiah ►A►A►A►A laborer from an obscure village in the foothills of Judea ►P►P►P►Portrays the decay of the Israelite society and proclaims that God will use Assyria to punish the sins of Jerusalem ►L►L►L►Laid out arguments like a lawyer ►A►A►A►Attuned to the socioeconomic injustices that abounded in Judah

The Kings during the Exile ► Josiah – king of Judah who is praised in Deuteronomic History because he instituted religious reforms based on a book of the covenant found in the temple. ► Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar – defeated Jerusalem, destroyed the temple, and took the Israelites into exile. ► King Cyrus of Persia – defeated the Babylonians, and allowed the Israelites to return to Judah to rebuild the temple and practice their religion