1. At the Heart of the Journey
CHAPTER SEVEN
God’s Prophet’s
At the Heart of the Journey

2. Introduction - The prophet is a special kind of messenger from God
- The Hebrew word for prophet, Nabi, was connected first with Moses
- Prophecy became a literary movement

3. Introduction
- “Latter prophets” were made up of major and minor prophets
Minor Prophets
• Hosea • Amos
• Obadiah • Jonah
• Micah • Nahum
• Habbakuk • Zephaniah
• Haggai • Zechariah
• Melachai
Major Prophets
• Isaiah
• Jeremiah
• Ezekial

4. Introduction - Common marks/roles of prophets
• Prophets received a call from God and felt compelled to follow it, leaving their former way of life behind
• Spoke messages that were unpopular with the ruling establishment

5. Introduction
Call Narrative: Story that describes a person’s initial awareness that God wanted him or her to do something specific

6. Introduction
- The call narratives of Isaiah and Jeremiah follow a similar pattern:
The setting is one of mystery or holiness
God initiates the call
The person resists
God reassures the person
God sends the person on a mission

7. Marks of the Prophets
- Judges were also considered prophets (Deborah, Gideon)
- Prophecy was rooted in the early military leaders of Israel
- Passionate concern for the poor whenever they suffered oppression by the rich
- Prophets spoke in first person, as if God was speaking

8. Servants & Prophets
- The prophets called people back to right relationships with Yahweh
- During this time, many Israelites had begun to worship the god Baal along with Yahweh
- Prophets reminded people that Yahweh was a jealous God who demanded their loyalty

9. Servants & Prophets - Four prophets in the northern kingdom:
1.) Elijah
2.) Elisha
3.) Amos
4.) Hosea

10. Servants & Prophets - Elijah (Read 1 Kings 17-18)
• Name means, “The Lord is my God”
• Considered the father of the prophets
• Was a spiritual warrior in a struggle that sometimes became violent
• Symbolized the struggle between the religion of Yahweh and religion of Canaanites

11. Servants & Prophets - Elisha • Carried on the work of Elijah
• Sided with the suffering of the poor
• Main concerns were social justice and religious devotion to Yahweh

12. Servants & Prophets - Amos
• First prophet for whom there is a recorded collection of sayings
• Strongest on the issues of social justice
• Spoke out against many of the sins of those living in the northern kingdom
• Although people continued in their sinfulness, he believed they could never completely frustrate the plan of God for the salvation of mankind

13. Servants & Prophets - Hosea • Offers some biographical information
• Held out more hope for Israel than Amos
• Acted out part of his message in his own life
• Controversial marriage symbolizes God’s relationship with Israel
• Compared the love of God with the love between husband and wife and parent and child

14. Styles of Prophets Common Themes
- Repent of your sins and God will save you
- God can bring good, even from destruction
• Even the people’s sinfulness will not cause Yahweh to abandon his covenant

15. Styles of Prophets New Ideas
- Incompatibility between Canaanite paganism and true Yahweh worship
- Questioning luxurious materialistic lifestyles
- God’s compassion and forgiveness

16. Fall of Northern Kingdom
- Assyria invaded Israel capturing the city of Samaria
- Upper class residents were deported to upper Mesopotamia
- Most of the population of Israel was left in the north to continue to work the land for the Assyrians
- Kingdom ended in 722 B.C.