“THE CONTEXT

OF THE
PROPHETS”
An Introduction
THE BOOK OF • Joshua was
JOSHUA
commissioned as leader
• Considered as new Moses
• Battles with Canaanites
and Philistines
• The crossing of river
Jordan
• The division of the land
THE BOOK OF • Israel’s failure to complete
JUDGES conquest
• Israelites allowed themselves to
be contaminated by Canaanites’
culture of immorality and
tolerating the sacrificing of
children
• Israel’s chaos is mediated by
Judges who acts like a chieftain,
political military leaders
• The cycle
Sin- oppression- repentance-
deliverance- peace
THE 1,2 BOOK • Samuel as the ruler and prophet
OF SAMUEL
• The ark of the covenant was stolen by
the Philistines
• Israel asked for a king like the other
nations
• Samuel blesses Saul to be the King
• David comes to be a better king
• The realization of the temple
• Bathsheba and David
• Nathan confronts David of his sins.
• The fall of the Kingdom of David
THE 1-2 BOOK • The long line of Kings
OF KINGS
• Solomon completes the Temple
• He marries daughters of Kings of other
nations, and thus accepts paganism
• The kingdom was divided
• Jeroboam-Northern Kingdom: Israel-
Samaria
• Rehoboam- Southern Kingdom: Judah-
Jerusalem
GOD’S JOURNEY
WITH HIS PEOPLE
IN THE NEVI’IM
Lesson 2
PROPHETS
• One who speaks on behalf of God to
God’s people
• Covenant watchdogs
• Call out idolatry and injustice/
challenge to repent and follow God
• Writing and Non- Writing Prophets/
Former Prophets and Latter Prophets
• Major Prophets: The longer OT
prophetic books; Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel
• Minor Prophets: The shorter OT
prophetic books; 12- Hosea, Joel, Amos,
Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah,
Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.
ISAIAH • Judgment and Hope for Jerusalem
• Old Jerusalem- rebellion, idolatry, and
injustice, “I will bring nation to
conquer you.”
• New Jerusalem- Justice, peace for all
nations
• Isaiah’s temple vision (Is 6)
• The call of Isaiah- instead of God
destroying him, he was cleansed from
his sins.
ISAIAH • Israel will be cut-off like a tree as sign
of purification, but the stump will stay
and will be the root of new Jerusalem
as a holy seed.
• He confronted Ahaz that his kingdom
will go down, and God will raise a new
king– Immanuel: God with us. (A new
root coming from the stump of
David’s family) He will establish New
Jerusalem, freedom from oppression.
ISAIAH 40-48 • Announcement of hope;
“Comfort, comfort my people.”
• They were called as God’s servants to
the nations but still they were
rebellious
• But another servant would fulfill that
• 50, 4-9; 52,13-53,12
• Servant’s death= a sacrifice for sin
• But lives again
 • 1, 4-10; 15, 10-20
JEREMIAH
• I appoint you as a prophet to Israel
and the nations,
to uproot and tear down
to plant and build up
• Broken covenant: worship of other
gods, and rampant social injustice
• Prophecies that Israel will be
conquered by the North: Babylonians
• After exile, God will renew the
covenant and transform Israel’s
hearts. God will save his people.
 • Hosea lived and prophesied during the
HOSEA 1:1-3;
11: 8-11 difficult years of the Northern kingdom of
Israel up to its capture by the Assyrians
722 B.C. This time was characterized by
violent coups, great disturbances,
warfare, and loss of life. What is
emphasize in the book of Hosea is that
God’s judgements are redemptive. Even in
punishment, God’s purpose is not to
destroy but to save. God’s love is greater
and deeper than man’s infidelity. In trying
to bring this home to the people, Hosea
uses not only the image of father and
children but also that of husband and
wife.
 • Future restoration and hope, there will be
HOSEA 1:1-3;
11, 8-11 a Messianic King as God’s blessing who
will govern them
AMOS Amos 7:10-17; 5:4-6, 9:11-15
5, 4-9
Notice the boldness of Amos’ action.
He went to preach in the national
temple though he has no title or
priest’s permission and he began to
denounce the false order which
allows the accumulation of so much
private wealth. Amos was not a
prophet but a lay person to whom
God entrusted a mission when he
calls him personally.
AMOS • Exposure of Religious Hypocrisy
9, 11-15
• Let justice flow like a river, and
righteousness, like an unfailing
stream.
• Mishpat-justice
- action to correct injustice
• Tsedeqah- rightiousness
– Right relationships despite social
differences
JONAH Jonah refuses to obey the call from the
1, 1-17
3, 1-10
Lord; perhaps because he does not feel
responsible for the salvation of the hated
Ninevites. Jonah delights in thinking about
the punishment that God is going to inflict
on the pagans of Nineveh.
Jonah represents those believers
who, although they know God, have a petty
and resentful and who lie about the good
done by men without religion because they
are afraid that people might make
comparison unfavorable to Christians.