What's Prophecy?

What is a Prophet and Where do these 17 books fit into the history of Israel?

What is a prophet?

17 books in one lesson!

Several Hebrew words are translated as prophet. The most common means “one who is called.”

A prophet speaks for someone else.

Biblical prophets are called by God.

A prophet is some one who is called by God to speak for Him.

The Pentateuch has lots of prophets including Moses, Samuel, Elijah and Elisha, Nathan.

The Books of the Prophets

Look at the table of contents in your Bible:

Major Prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel

All the others except for Lamentations which is next to Jeremiah because we think Jeremiah wrote it.

What’s the Difference between the Major and Minor Prophets?

The Major are longer.

Big Historical Events

These dates are very loose, since there are many ways to define when an empire exists or falls. All dates are BCE up through Rome.

Rise of the Assyrian Empire (745-612)

Conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel in 722

Amos

Isaiah

Hosea

Micah

Jonah

Babylonian Empire (612-539)

Conquered the Southern Kingdom of Judah in 586

Nahum

Zephaniah

Habakkuk

Jeremiah

Daniel (these next three bridge into Persia)

Ezekiel

Obadiah

Persian Empire (539-330)

Shortly after conquering Babylon Cyrus allowed Jewish captives to return to Israel

Zechariah

Haggai

Joel

Malachi

Greek (323-146)

Roman (146 BCE- 476 CE)

The Prophets Message

Prophets were like alarm clocks waking Israel up to the fact that they weren’t following their covenant with God.

The message from God which the prophet shared was called an oracle

“And the word of the Lord came to ___” is a common formula for describing how prophets received their message.

Types of Messages

Indictment (what you did wrong)

Judgement (the consequence of that)

Instruction (what to do instead – a warning)

Aftermath (Blessing coming & God’s rescue plan)

Good questions to ask for reading the prophets

Who is this written too? North or South?

When is it written? (Which empire was threatening and who were the kings of Israel/Judah)

What can we learn from the message about God’s expectations?

Reveals right behavior AND our need for a savior.

What can we learn from the message about God’s promises of salvation?

How was this promise fulfilled in Jesus?

Study of Micah

Micah 1:1 CSB

The word of the Lord that came to Micah the Moreshite—what he saw regarding Samaria and Jerusalem in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

We see “the word of the Lord came to Micah” which is the standard formula for describing the origin of a true prophetic message.

This passage tells us these prophesies are visions since he is seeing them.

His audience is Samaria- that’s the Northern Kingdom of Israel and Jerusalem, the southern kingdom

We see three kings listed and we can date Micah from around 750 to 686.

Background

Assyria had risen in power and then had internal problems that led to them being less involved with Israel.

Judah had enjoyed a time of prosperity and safety under King Uzziah, but this changes King Jotham

Micah takes place after this time of prosperity in a new era when Assyria is again on the rise and threatening Israel.

Micah 1:2 CSB

Listen, all you peoples; pay attention, earth and everyone in it! The Lord God will be a witness against you, the Lord, from his holy temple.

What type of prophecy is this?

We know that we have an indictment or judgement. We have a picture of a court scene with God judging as a witness from his Holy temple.

Micah 1:3–4 CSB

Look, the Lord is leaving his place and coming down to trample the heights of the earth. The mountains will melt beneath him, and the valleys will split apart, like wax near a fire, like water cascading down a mountainside.

Is this and indictment or judgement?

We now see that it is about God’s coming judgement personified as God coming down to trample the heights of the earth. This references to high places is tied to idolatry since false worship would take place on mountains and were called “high places.” These are often connected with Asherah poles as well as common practices of idolatry. But God is coming to pass judgement on this idolatry.

Micah 1:5 CSB

All this will happen because of Jacob’s rebellion and the sins of the house of Israel. What is the rebellion of Jacob? Isn’t it Samaria? And what is the high place of Judah? Isn’t it Jerusalem?

This is a little confusing as to who Micah is talking about. That’s partly because we don’t talk like this and partly because Micah is probably delivering it to surprising. He is likely setting up one expectation for his listeners in Judah and then pulls the rug out in the end.

The prophecy started with the whole world but it is now revealed that it’s about Israel. But it the south where he lives or is it the bad Northern kingdom that is getting judged?

Jacob, a patriarch of Israel can be used to personify the people of Israel in the northern kingdom, the southern kingdom or both.

At first it sounds like he’s talking about the North. We have two parallel lines which in Hebrew Poetry usually means things are synonyms.

Jacob’s rebellion is parallel with the house of Israel.

The rebellion of Jacob is parallel with the city of samarium

Just as the reader decides that Micah is about to let those northern sinner hear the coming judgement he says this:

And what is the high place of Judah? Isn’t it Jerusalem?

Suddenly the listeners realize that this judgement is for all of Israel both north and south that includes them. They are being accused of idolatry.

Micah 1:6–7 CSB

Therefore, I will make Samaria a heap of ruins in the countryside, a planting area for a vineyard. I will roll her stones into the valley and expose her foundations. All her carved images will be smashed to pieces; all her wages will be burned in the fire, and I will destroy all her idols. Since she collected the wages of a prostitute, they will be used again for a prostitute.

God is revealing through this prophecy that destruction was coming to the Northern kingdom of Israel, but sounding a loud alarm clock for the Southern Kingdom listeners that they were on the same dangerous path and should repent and be faithful to God. Woven into this judgement is the metaphor of Israel as unfaithful to God, like a wife who turned to prostitution.

In the next section Micah laments this destruction. But let’s jump ahead to Micah 5 and see a passage that is quoted in the New Testament. This is one of many sections of promise of restoration that point towards God reconciling fallen Israel, and fallen humanity in the future.

Looking to the Messiah

Micah 5:2 ESV

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.

Ephrathah is the ancient name of Bethlehem.

Who is this talking about?

Immediate context: dealing with the Assyrian invasion and siege of Jerusalem. (Original audience)

Future Context: Jesus!!! (New Testament believers)

Matthew 2:6 ESV

“ ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’ ”

This passage reveals that Jews in Jesus day believed this passage was pointing to the future birthplace of the Messiah.

As Christian we see that Jesus fulfilled this promise!

Micah 5:3–4 ESV

Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of his brothers shall return to the people of Israel. And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth.

From Halley’s Handbook Bible Notes

Then, in 5:1, Micah returns to the siege of Jerusalem. This is the setting for the appearance of the deliverer from Bethlehem (vv. 2–5). In Micah’s own day it referred to the deliverance from Assyria (vv. 5–6). But beyond the horizon, in the dim distance, loomed the majestic figure of the coming Messianic King, who made His advent from eternity (“from of old, from ancient times,” v. 2) by way of Bethlehem. Zion’s deliverance from Assyria by the Angel of God (2 Kings 19:35; 2 Chronicles 32:21; Isaiah 37:35) was, in some respects, a foreshadowing of a coming greater deliverance by the Savior of all humanity. Many Old Testament predictions of Christ were blurred because they were viewed through the historic situations of the prophet’s own times, yet too clear to be mistaken. Unquestionably the eternal Ruler from Bethlehem (Micah 5:2) is to be identified with the wonderful Child of Isaiah 9:6–7. This is the only place in the Old Testament where it is specifically stated that the Christ would be born in Bethlehem (see under Matthew 2:22).