Chapter 7: The Prophets (part 1)

1. Chapter 7: The Prophets(part 1) Mrs. Kenny Religion 9 March 2013

2. Let’s Recap! • In Hebrew history when the people of Israel cried for a king, the Lord sent Samuel to anoint Saul as the first king over Israel. • After Saul died David became king and he was the greatest king over Israel, he made Israel a strong nation following the Lord. • After David died, his son Solomon became king and he made Israel wealthy and famous among all the nations of the world. • Solomon's one mistake was that he married foreign wives. These women brought their foreign gods and idols into Israel, and it was not long before idolatry spread throughout Israel.

3. The Kingdoms Split • When Solomon died the kingdom was split in two, the Northern Kingdom consisted of ten of the tribes and was called Israel, and the Southern Kingdom consisted of two of the tribes and was called Judah.

4. Bad Kings • From this point onward almost every king was an idol worshipper. • In fact every king in the North was evil, but in the Southern Kingdom of Judah some of the kings followed the Lord, and when they brought the people back to God the nation prospered. • But when they disobeyed the Lord great problems would arise.

5. Prophets • It was during this time that God raised up certain "prophets" who were His mouthpieces. • They would speak out against their sin and idolatry and would continually warn of God's judgment. • Some of the prophets spoke out in the North and some in the South, but God was faithfully warning them of certain catastrophe if they would not turn to him.

6. Northern Kingdom • Finally in 722 BC the Assyrians came down and conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel and took the ten tribes away never to be seen again. • The prophets had continually warned them but the judgment finally came.

7. Southern Kingdom • The Southern Kingdom had continued to follow the Lord, but they finally turned away from God and became totally corrupt. • In 586 BC the Babylonians came and destroyed Jerusalem and carried the Jews away to Babylon. • God continued to send prophets to encourage the Hebrews that their captivity would only last 70 years.

8. Kingdoms North: ISRAEL – 10 tribes – 722 BC fall to Assyrians South: JUDAH – 2 tribes – 586 BC fall to Babylonians

9. A Messiah • The prophets also gave a message of hope that one day God would send His Messiah, who would not only save the Hebrews but the whole world. • Their message was that their real bondage and captivity was to spiritual powers that cannot be seen, and God Himself would come as a man and die, so that death would "Passover" anyone who believes, and break their spiritual captivity.

10. What is a Prophet? • one who utters divinely inspired revelations • often capitalized : the writer of one of the prophetic books of the Bible • capitalized : one regarded by a group of followers as the final authoritative revealer of God's will (i.e. Muhammad, the Prophet of Allah) • one gifted with more than ordinary spiritual and moral insight; especially : an inspired poet • one who foretells future events : predictor • an effective or leading spokesman for a cause, doctrine, or group • a spiritual seer • Other ideas…

13. Jelly Telly! • 1 Kings: • http://youtu.be/XheRtqkQ-4g

14. The Kingdom Breaks Up • As things started to go downhill rapidly for Israel, prophets emerged. They were not incredibly popular, and even risked their lives to condemn the moral laxity of kings and the decadence of their people. • The prophets became the conscience of the people. Prophets were called by God, and warned the people that they had strayed from true worship and forgotten their role of witness to the Lord before the nations.

15. Non-Writing Prophets(tales collected and passed along over time) • Moses – chosen Hebrew who receives God’s Law • Eli – priest whom raises Samuel • Samuel– rejected Saul’s flawed kingship and anointed David • Nathan – denounced David’s adultery • Elijah • Elisha

16. Writing Prophets • (have books in the Bible with their own names): • Amos – a herdsman • Hosea – a betrayed husband • Isaiah – of Jerusalem, confidant and counselor of kings • Micah – devotee of the poor

17. Conquering & Exile • Because the people did not listen to the warnings of the prophets or follow God’s Law, both kingdoms were conquered and forced into exile.

18. Two Kingdoms: Israel and Judah

19. South: Rehoboam • After Solomon dies, his son Rehoboambecomes king. • The North sets a condition for accepting Rehoboam: he must not oppress them as his father did. The elders of the court agree and advise the young king to be a servant to his people, not a slave driver. But Rehoboam instead heeds the counsel of his young comrades, who call for more brutality, and the northern tribes reject him. • Thus, all Israel is divided into 2 kingdoms: Israel in the North and Judah in the South. • The unifying work of David is destroyed in only 2 generations. • Rehoboam continues the royal line of the house of David in the south.

20. North: Jeroboam • The rebel Jeroboam is declared king in the north, and immediately breaks the Law of God by enshrining 2 golden calves, one at Dan the other at Bethel. • Jeroboam raised up non-Levite priests to offer sacrifices in the north, hoping to keep his people from going south to Jerusalem to worship, where they might rekindle their loyalty to the house of David. • His strategy fails, as his dynasty only briefly outlives him.

22. Why Golden Calves? • Jeroboam sought to please everyone by building the golden calves. • For the Canaanites, a golden calf is a symbol of Baal, their fertility god. • For the Israelites, the calves can serve as a throne for an invisible God. • It caters to both peoples, and keeps them away from having to go to Jerusalem to worship. • Obviously a bad idea to us!!!!!!!!!

23. The Wicked Kings of the North • After Jeroboam, there is a string of violent deaths. • To overthrow the king, it is common to assassinate the king and his whole family. • The 6th king Omri builds Samaria – a splendid capital city. • He is succeeded by his son Ahab. Ahab marries Jezebel – a wicked woman and pagan, and they become the villains in the stories about the prophets Elijah and Elisha.

24. A Strategic Marriage? • Marriages between two different peoples were ways of building protective alliances against hostile empires. • Jezebel was Phonecian, and this gained military strength for Israel by adding Phonecia (Western Canaanites). • The cost for Israel was that Baal replaced God in the people’s worship.

25. Elijah & Elisha in the North • The purpose of the stories in the Books of Kings about Elijah and Elisha – especially for the exiles in Babylon – was to show that when God spoke through the prophets, he expected Israel to listen, or else! • Elijah & Elisha – historical figures who tangled with Ahab & Jezebel • Elijah & Elisha – prophesized from the reigns of the kings of Israel from Ahab to Joash – about 874-796 B.C.

26. Elijah Nourished by a Starving Widow • Elijah opens with God’s sending him to tell King Ahab that he will be punished by a terrible drought, because Queen Jezebel had ordered all the prophets of Israel to be killed. • Elijah is sent to hide by a stream where ravens will feed him. When the stream runs dry, he is sent to a Phonecian town (Zarepath) where a widow will care for him. • Upon arriving, Elijah sees the woman and asks her for water and a crust of bread. She only has enough flour and oil to make a barley cake for herself and her son before they die of starvation. • Elijah promises God’s help if she will divide the cake with him. She does, and after the drought is over, her jar of flour and jug of oil are never empty. (1 Kings 17:1-16)

27. Elijah Nourished by a Starving Widow…cont’d • Although the woman has only enough flour and oil for a barley cake for herself and her son, she believes Elijah when he promises God’s help if she shares the cake. Having trusted that God will provide whatever is needed, the woman never goes hungry again. • Elijah performed many other miracles too, including healing. Jesus refers to Elijah’s work in the New Testament (e.g. Luke 4:20-30).

28. Victory over the Prophets of Baal Elijah remains with the widow of Zarepath until God sends him back to Ahab’s court. Elijah is blamed for the drought, and in response challenges Baal to produce rain. Then Elijah builds an altar to the Lord. He digs a trench around it with water and builds a fire. He kills a bull for sacrifice, and has the people drench it with water. He calls on God’s power, and fire comes down to consume everything. Unfaithful people fall to the ground to worship the God of Israel. Then Elijah has the prophets of Baal killed. (1Kings 18:17-40)

29. After the Victory… • Jezebel gets angry at Elijah’s victory over the prophets of Baal, and threatens his life. • Elijah flees to the desert, where an angel tells him to journey to Horeb (Mount Sinai). • He takes shelter in a cave, and mourns the people who have all abandoned God. • God tells Elijah he will reveal himself to him, and to go outside.

30. Read 1 Kings 19:11-18…What did God use to reveal himself to Elijah in this passage?

31. God in the Breeze • God then sends Elijah back to work, reminding him that there are still 7,000 Israelites who have remained faithful. • Question: • What can we take away from the way God reveals himself to Elijah? • Answer: • God’s Presence in the Small and Ordinary • God’s strength doesn’t always come in a big, showy way. We may not find God’s power in big, obvious successes or triumphs but in his quiet movement in our everyday.

32. Condemning Ahab’s Greed for a Vineyard • King Ahab wants a man Naboth’s vineyard. The land is on Naboth’s ancestral ground, and he refuses to give it up. • Ahab complains to Jezebel about it, who has Naboth framed and stoned to death. • Because property of a condemned person reverts to the king, Ahab gets his vineyard in an underhanded, nasty operation. • God sends Elijah to curse Ahab. Elijah foretells of the end of Ahab, Jezebel, and their royal line. All of these things eventually happen. (1 Kings 21:1-29; 22:29-38)

33. Free to Choose • We have free will, freedom to make decisions to be good or bad. • Even though evil is in the world, good does prevail. • Evil is self-destructive, while good multiplies. • For example, we don’t commonly recognize villains like Ahab, but we can all think of saints who did good in their lives, and have affected our lives – sometimes centuries or millennia later!

34. Off in a Chariot of Fire • Elijah knows his life is over. He goes to the Jordan River with Elisha, a devoted follower. There, Elijah parts the water with his cloak, and the two cross over the river. • Elisha asks for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. • A flaming chariot with fiery horses comes between the two, and Elijah disappears in a whirlwind. • Elisha watches and cries out. • He tears his cloak in half, strikes the river, and returns across the riverbed. • For 3 days, a community of prophets of the region search for Elijah but fail to find him.

35. Elijah at the Transfiguration • This story gave rise to the belief that Elijah would return to announce the coming of a Messiah. • There are references about Elijah in the New Testament. • One example states that John the Baptist has “the spirit and power of Elijah.” • In the gospels, Elijah appears at the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ (Luke 1:13,17; John 1:19-21; Luke 9:28-33). • Transfiguration by Lodovico Carracci, 1594, depicting Elijah, Jesus, and Moses with the three apostles.

36. Elisha’s Miracles • Elisha’s story is an unbroken succession of wonders. He follows in his mentor’s (Elijah) footsteps. • Elisha: • Purifies Jericho’s water supply, which has been causing death and miscarriages • Helps a widow avoid selling her children to pay her debts • Blesses a childless couple, and they have a son, which he later revives through a type of artificial respiration • Purifies poisoned stew and multiplies loaves of bread to make enough for a hundred people • Becomes known for healing powers (i.e. curing Naaman of leprosy by having him wash in the Jordan 7 times) • Is buried with another man, who springs back to life when he touches Elisha’s body

37. Jelly Telly! • 2 Kings: • http://youtu.be/o2ausqaWG0w

38. Multiplying Loaves & Healing the Sick • Miracles in the Bible aren’t supposed to be seen as “divine tricks.” • Instead, they are supposed to represent God’s loving concern for people.

39. Amos and Hosea in the North Writing Prophets

40. Amos: A Cry Against Riches Gained by Injustice • Amos: a shepherd from Judah who goes north to preach against the sinful kingdom of Israel in about 750 B.C. (during the reign of Jeroboam II) • Amos: harsh, blunt, and angry who is said to roar like a lion

41. Amos • Shepherd, so dressed in rustic garments compared to the northerners rich attire • Goes to Bethel first to talk to the people, then Samaria • Condemns their unjust exploitative actions toward the poor and weak, tells that God will punish them for this • In Samaria, he compares the rich women to fat cattle who are waited on hand and foot – and that someday they will be dragged away like dead animals

42. Why So Angry Amos? • God’s Law was set up to take care of everyone – rich and poor, and had been abandoned • By abandoning God’s Law, it has led to the oppression of the poor

43. No Empty Ritual: “Let Justice Roll Down” • MLK Jr. referred to the prophet Amos in a famous sermon, when he explained that the Lord hates and abominates celebrating religious rituals with an insincere heart • When we worship, we must process, sacrifice, and sing with hearts that love God “like waters, / and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” Amos 5:24 • In other words, God condemns empty worship.

44. Amos’s Visions of Israel’s Final Fate • Amos watches Israel burn during dry season • Foresees Israel’s eventual downfall from so much sin • Refers to Israel as “Jacob” and pleads for Israel to God • God eventually lets Israel fall to its own destruction • Eventually gets told to go back to Judah • Tells off the high priest before going home

45. Hosea: God as a Betrayed Husband • By the end of Israel (786-721 B.C.) – just before they get conquered by the Assyrians – things are very bad • Hosea – a prophet from the north • Hosea is involved in a very unhappy marriage with Gomer, a wife he loves • Gomer has left Hosea for other lovers, just like Israel has deserted God for the Canaanite god Baal

46. Hosea is a parable of Betrayal • Hosea relates his own experience of betrayal to find the words he needs • The first 3 chapters of Hosea deliver this message, relayed as a parable • The remaining 11 chapters are fragments of oracles condemning Israel’s sin

47. What is an Oracle? • a: a person (as a priestess of ancient Greece) through whom a deity is believed to speak • b: a shrine in which a deity reveals hidden knowledge or the divine purpose through such a person • c: an answer or decision given by an oracle OR • a: a person giving wise or authoritative decisions or opinions • b: an authoritative or wise expression or answer

48. Strange Names • Hosea is told to give his 3 kids strange names that literally mean: • “shameful butchery” • “not pitied” • And “not my people” • By the time Hosea says the third name, the people of Israel understand that Hosea is describing them breaking the Covenant. • This is a highly threatening idea. • They had always assumed that God’s Covenant would be there and stave off punishment. (Hosea 1:1-9)

49. Be Exiled But Come Back to Me • Hosea is the first book of the Bible to feature the relationship between God and Israel as a marriage and to use the language and images of marriage in describing it (metaphor) • To God, “infidelity” in Israel’s behavior means betrayal of justice, compassion, integrity, true worship

50. Gomer & Israel as Forever Beloved • Gomer could be sentenced to death for her infidelity. Instead, Hosea wants to punish her for a little while, then take her back tenderly. • In other words, God is saying that he will not wipe out the people of Israel, even though they deserve it. • Instead, they will be put through a time of exile and abandonment. • This will eventually bring Israel back into its loving relationship with the Lord.