Chapter 2 - The Prophets of the Bible (Continued)
Old Testament Prophets
Named Prophets
Aaron, the brother of Moses, was also the first High Priest. In Exodus 7:1 he is called a prophet (spokesman) for Moses. Like Moses, he was able to hear directly from God.
[Message: Aaron began as a co-speaker with Moses representing God before Pharaoh. The miracles performed demonstrated to both the Egyptians and the Israelites that God did indeed exist and was greater than any other god. Later, as the first High Priest, Aaron continued to represent God as an intermediary for the Israelites. The primary message in his life as prophet of God was that God was real and that He desired His people to obey Him.]
Abel, the brother of Cain (see Genesis chapter four). Luke records Jesus proclaiming several ‘woes’ against the Pharisees and lawyers. At one point Jesus alludes to Abel being a prophet (see Luke 11:50-51).
[Message: The Bible tells us that, “Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering.” (Genesis 4:4), but the offering his brother made was not acceptable (see Genesis 4:5). Instead for us focusing on what was offered, attention should be on something we cannot see, the person’s heart, something that only God can see and hear. Instead of reconciling with God, Cain chose to kill Abel. God then asked Cain, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground.” (Genesis 4:10b) The author of Hebrews tells us that, “By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.” (Hebrews 11:4) Abel’s blood testifies to the righteousness obtained through faith in God’s promises. The author later adds, “to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.” (Hebrews 12:24) The blood of Abel would refer to the blood shed in the sacrifices he offered in faith (remember this would be before the written law was given to Moses) as well as his own blood which was “crying” to God for vengeance. One way to view Abel’s prophetic message is to see it as being twofold, one regarding the need for unwavering faith in God for salvation, and that vengeance truly belongs to God (see also Deuteronomy 32:35; Romans 12:19; Hebrews 10:30).]
Abraham, the father of the Hebrews. Called out of a pagan nation to a location he was not told until after he left (see Hebrews 11:8-9). Spoke for God on a number of occasions. He was the patriarch of the Jews, the grandfather of Jacob (also known as Israel).
[Message: Much of the book of Genesis is dedicated to the life of Abraham, beginning in chapter twelve with what is now called the Abrahamic Covenant, which is later described in more detail in chapter 15 and then finalized, sometimes referred to as being ‘sealed’ in chapter 17. These promises were given to Abraham and his descendants unconditionally. The land referenced in the covenant is often called the Promised Land. It is important to remember the differences between the Abrahamic Covenant and the Mosaic Covenant given to Moses. While the covenant given to Abraham was unconditional to possess the land, the covenant given to Moses was conditional, compliance was necessary in order to remain in and occupy the land. Abraham was also given several other ‘clauses’ in that covenant, including, “I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:3) A promise that is still “in play” today. Abraham trusted God when he left his home to the land of Canaan, and trusted Him to fulfill His promise of a great nation from his son Isaac when he was told to sacrifice him on an altar. His prophetic message of obedience to God was seen when the Israelites took possession of the land after living in Egypt and then again in the return of Jews and the revival of the nation of Israel today.]
Adam, the first man. God directly interacted with him, giving him instructions of what to do, and not do, in the garden of Eden. Including the regulation regarding of not eating the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil (see Exodus 2:15-17). Which he later violated, bringing sin into humanity.
[Message: Adam learned the hard way that there are consequences in disobeying God. Sin was introduced to humanity as a result of Adam’s defiance, plus God cursed the serpent, which included the first mention in the Bible of the coming Messiah,”I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” (Genesis 3:15) God also cursed Eve and Adam (see Genesis 3:16-19), including a curse on the ground, referring to all of creation (see Romans 8:20-22). Sin is a serious problem, as man cannot change or repair that problem. Man’s best effort is still insufficient, “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.” (Isaiah 64:6) In other words, worthless. Adam’s prophetic message begins with a harsh lesson that God is a ‘just’ God and means what He says, but at the same time, we get a glimpse of hope in God’s admonishment in verse 15.]
Ahijah, a prophet sent by God to warn Jeroboam (first king of Northern Kingdom, who led his people to idol worship) that the kingdom will be divided (see 1 Kings 11:29). Not to be confused with eight other people in the Old Testament with the same name. Often confused with Abijah, another common name found in the Old Testament.
[Message: In a classic Old Testament prophet’s style of using drama to get a point across, Ahijah the Shilonite, in front of Jeroboam, rips his new clothing into twelve pieces. He told the king that God was, “about to tear the kingdom from the hand of Solomon and will give you ten tribes.” (1 Kings 11:31b) Why? Because they (Solomon and the people) had forsaken God and turned to worshiping idols. The prophet also told Jeroboam that God would divide the kingdom only after Solomon dies, not before. When Solomon heard about the split and that Jeroboam was to be the first king of the Northern Kingdom, he sought to kill him, but Jeroboam went and stayed in Egypt until Solomon died. The prophetic message of the coming kingdom split, underscores the importance of remaining faithful to God. It also demonstrates how someone like Solomon, with all his wisdom, who started his reign with total devotion to God, could fall away from Him. We know most of his 700 wives and 300 concubines were from foreign nations and they undoubtedly brought with them their cultures and pagan religions. He apparently succumbed and his kingdom began to fall as a result. One might conclude if Solomon can be duped into idol worship, almost anyone can too! So stay near to God!]
Amos, was a shepherd and farmer called by God during the reigns of Uzziah in the Southern Kingdom and Jeroboam II of the Northern Kingdom, and is believed to be the first of the “writing prophets.” In his book he prophesied against the nations that surround Israel, against Israel, and against Judah, but pleads with them to return to God and live. Amos was warned by Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, to leave the land because he prophesied that Jeroboam was going to die by the sword, which would result in further destruction (see Amos 7:12-17). Amos wrote about the destruction and restoration of Israel.
[Message: A prophet during a time when both kingdoms enjoyed peace and stability, it was also a period that ushered in a time of prosperity, idolatry, and extravagance, and of course, corruption. It was common to see the less fortunate being oppressed by the rich and powerful. Amos condemned the people of Israel for their apostasy and warned them that calamity would come because of them breaking their covenant with God. He advised them to “Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the LORD, the God of hosts, will be with you, as you have said.” (Amos 5:14) He also warned them that God said, “I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies” (Amos 5:21), that they should, “Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living.” (Amos 5:24, NLT). Even though the destruction would be devastating, God promised that He would remember His covenant with Israel and would retain and protect a faithful remnant. The prophetic message of the coming destruction served as a harsh and severe reminder that the promise made to God through the covenant made with Moses was indeed going to be enforced by God, but also to understand that apostasy, the abandonment of God is a serious offense to Him.]
Asaph, was one of David’s chief musicians, he was also the author of several of the Psalms. In 2 Chronicles 29:30 he is listed as a ‘hō·zě(h)’,[1] which can be translated as a ‘seer’ or a ‘prophet’. King David had several ’seers’ (see 2 Samuel 24:11; 1 Chronicles 25:5; 2 Chronicles 29:25).
[Message: There are several verses in the Bible that speak about how Asaph was a godly leader in musical matters (see 1 Chronicles 15:19; 16:4-7, 37; 25:6). But it is through his writing of several Psalms (50, 73-83) that offer insight to a number of questions and issues that only God can answer. His main prophetic theme appears to be that God offers everything we need, even though we may not always understand what is going on or why. As a seer, Asaph was able to offer God’s perspective, or, at minimum, encouragement during difficult times.]
Azariah, son of Oded, sent by God to encourage King Asa to reform the Southern Kingdom after King Abijah’s reign (see 2 Chronicles 15:1-8). Azariah is another common name, this one is always identified as the son of Oded.
[Message: When Asa became king of Judah, he was encouraged by Azariah with instructions from God, “If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.” (2 Chronicles 15:2) Asa “took courage and put away the detestable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities that he had taken in the hill country of Ephraim, and he repaired the altar of the LORD that was in front of the vestibule of the house of the LORD.” (2 Chronicles 15:8b) and became the Southern Kingdom’s first good king who reigned for 41 years. The prophetic message was that God is faithful in keeping His promises of blessings of prosperity and peace, a period that extended another 25 years under King Jehoshaphat.]
Balaam, the son of Beor, is without a doubt the strangest and most dubious of all prophets. Some might call him a false prophet, but he did hear and speak God’s words, even though he may have had the wrong intentions. Balaam was a ‘prophet’ for ‘profit’, as he was a prophet for hire. The dilemma most readers have with him centers around the question, “Why would God listen, let alone talk to a man like this?” A great question, but there is a significant amount of text in the book of Numbers about him (which essentially tells us that it is important to God). The story begins with Balak, the king of Moab, observing the vast number of Israelites heading towards Moab and Midian, so he summons Balaam to curse them to prevent what looked like to him as an inevitable encounter and battle. Balaam initially refused (God told him not to go) but when approached again he was allowed by God to go. Perhaps because he was motivated by greed and not as a faithful servant of God, we read that God was angry with Balaam and sent an angel (an angel of the LORD, considered to be a Christophany, see “Before We Begin” in the Introduction) to talk with him and was blocking the path. His donkey saw the angel and suddenly stopped, which angered Balaam who began to hit his donkey because he could not see the angel. God opened the mouth of the donkey which turned and asked Balaam why he was hitting her, and Balaam begins a dialog with the donkey without hesitation or inquiry as to how the animal could suddenly talk. God then opened the eyes of Balaam to see the angel, who then reminded him that he was to only speak the words given to him from God. Balaam over several days offered four oracles that resulted in blessing the Israelites instead of cursing them, which increasingly angered Balak (see Numbers chapters 22-24). We read later that Balaam, perhaps frustrated himself, offered Balak advice that did ultimately bring punishment to the Israelites (see Numbers 31:16).
[Message: While it may be inconceivable to consider a prophet of God doing or saying other than what God wanted them to say and do, we read that Balaam appears to have been motivated to do just that. This storyline raises a number of questions, such as: would God have allowed Balaam to curse a group of people if they weren’t the Israelites? Or perhaps, does God listen to prophets even if they decided to curse someone or some group? The idea that a prophet of God could have obtained a reputation cursing things and people is equally inconceivable to any reader of Scripture. Balaam was ultimately unable to curse the Israelites, instead he blessed them each time, but to his credit he did warn Balak, “Did I not tell you, ‘All that the LORD says, that I must do’?” (Numbers 23:26, see also Numbers 22:18) Even though he knew he could not do the Israelites any harm, he ‘egged on’ Balak into thinking that perhaps changing locations or offering sacrifices will change God’s mind. The prophetic message in the four oracles of Balaam appears to have had two important points: 1) the future greatness of the nation of Israel, through conquest and strong leadership; and 2) the promise of a coming star that would announce the coming Messiah (see Numbers 24:17). Both of which came true, proving Balaam was indeed a true prophet.]
Daniel, one of the four major prophets. Called ‘major’ because they wrote more than the ‘minor’ prophets. The terminology only applies to the prophets that we know that wrote, or that their work survived. Daniel is also a major player in the study of end-time prophecy. The book of Daniel is considered a key book to understand eschatology (the study of end-times), even Jesus refers to his writing (see Matthew 24:15, more on that subject later (see “Olivet Discourse” in “An Examination of the End Times”).
[Message: This synopsis will be brief as we will look at the book of Daniel later (see “Daniel” in “An Examination of the End Times”). Daniel and several friends were removed from their families to serve the king during the Babylonian Captivity that occurred after Babylon’s invasion and destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem. Even though a member of the “king’s court,” Daniel continued to serve, trust and obey God. When he was allowed to correctly state and interpret Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams, he was promoted making other members of the king’s court jealous. Since God gave Daniel several visions and a visit from the angel Gabriel, including what is recorded in the four verses known as Daniel’s Seventy Week’s (see “An Examination of the End Times”), we can see that the prophetic message was multifold and diverse. Besides being key to understanding end-time timing, we see that Daniel’s writing regarding the period between the Old and New Testaments (also known as the ’silent years’) was so precise, that many attempt to promote the idea that the book must have been written after the fact, not before. These accurate foretellings help us recognize that Daniel’s predictions of yet-future events will indeed occur.]
David, The Bible contains a lot of information about David, his life, his family, his love for God, and of course, his life as a king. The Bible also contains a lot of his writings, mostly as the primary author of the Psalms. Due to his special relationship to God, David received many promises from God and was the recipient of what is known as the Davidic Covenant (see 2 Samuel 7:1-29; 1 Chronicles 17:11-14; 2 Chronicles 6:16). One element of that covenant is that the Messiah will be a descendant of David, which, as we later read in the New Testament, the phrase that was often shouted at Jesus, “Son of David!” was in recognition that Jesus is the Messiah.
[Message: Many fail to recognize that many of David’s Psalms were prophetic, here are a few examples: As the Messiah, Jesus will reign and judge on the earth (see Psalm 9:2-20); that God’s kingdom is eternal (see Psalm 10:16); that the Messiah (Jesus) will suffer on the cross (see Psalm 22:1-31); that David’s enemies will fall (see Psalm 27:1-14); that Jesus will be betrayed by a friend (see Psalm 41:9); the wicked may prosper, but will be ultimately judged (see Psalm 73:1-28; 91:1-8; 92:7-15); the love of God is with the righteous forever (see Psalm 103:1-18; 118:1-18); the covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will last forever (see Psalm 105:5-11); God is faithful in keeping those who trust Him (see Psalm 121:1-80); the descendants of David will sit on his throne (see Psalm 132:11); God answers prayers (see Psalm 145:18-20); and God will sustain the humble (see Psalm 147:6). In addition to the Psalms, we read that David heard from God through priests (for example see 1 Samuel 30:1-20), prophets (for example see 2 Samuel 12:1-23), as well as directly from God (for example see 2 Samuel 5:17-25). Perhaps the most familiar prophecies that pertain to David are contained in the “Davidic Covenant,” found in 2 Samuel 7:1-29; 1 Chronicles 17:1-27; and reflected in Psalm 89:1-52. The major elements of the covenant include: 1) He was promised a son, yet born at that time, that would succeed him as king; 2) That son would build the Temple; 3) The throne of his son’s kingdom would last forever; 4) David’s descendants and kingdom would endure forever; and 5) He was warned that if the people disobeyed God they would be punished. In summary, the prophetic messages serve as a reminder to follow God, as He will reward and punish. We also see that God offered unparalleled hope in the promise of the eternal kingdom of God through the Messiah.]
Deborah, one of the early judges before any of the tribes had any kings. As a judge, she led the deliverance from the Canaanite King Jabin, and victory over Sisera and his armies (see Judges chapters 4-5). The text clearly refers to her as a prophetess (see Judges 4:4).
[Message: It is not clear how Deborah communicated with God, but it is clear she heard specific instructions on how to defeat their enemy. In what might be described as being against all odds, Deborah and Barak (the commander of the Israelite army), were victorious. Sadly, this story began with an all-too-familiar premise, “the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the LORD” (Judges 4:1b) They were then oppressed by an evil king for twenty years. The “people of Israel cried out to the LORD for help.” (Judges 4:3b) Deborah, while judging, summoned Barak and when he arrived, she proclaimed, “Has not the LORD, the God of Israel, commanded you, ‘Go…” (Judges 4:6b) and proceeded to give Barak specific instructions. Based on the wording, some believe that God could be heard by others. God heard the cries of the people and gave them a ’supernatural’ victory that could only be explained as coming from God. The prophetic message is that even though the people disobeyed God, He heard their plea for help and forgave them.]
Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah, prophesied against Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, that since he joined in building ships in Ezion-geber to go to Tarshish with Ahaziah, the king of Israel, God said He will destroy all that they had made. The ships were then consequently destroyed (see 2 Chronicles 20:35-37).
[Message: Although only appearing this one time in Scripture, Eliezer conveyed God’s anger to Jehoshaphat for his collaboration with the wicked king of the Southern Kingdom. Jehoshaphat reigned for 25 years and did, for the most part, right in the eyes of God (although he did not remove the mountain top places of pagan worship). But instead of trusting in God’s protection and provision, he joined forces with Ahaziah to build battle-ships. The prophetic message is that even though if some idea makes logical sense, such as building ships to do battle with, if it is not of God and can be perceived as being a show of force from man’s efforts, it is unacceptable to God. Jehoshaphat was warned, he continued, the ships were destroyed and he died shortly afterwards.]
Elihu, a young man who had been listening to Job and his friends, he began to rebuke them and expounded the greatness of God (see Job chapters 32-37). Many believe he was sent by God and therefore should be considered a prophet.
[Message: The book of Job is perhaps one of the more controversial books in the Bible. Even though often quoted from, it is rarely taught. Nearly every aspect and character in the book is debated, including Elihu. He overhears Job talking with his friends and at a point when he heard enough, in what he considers nonsense, he interjects his thoughts. Elihu begins an eloquent dissertation on God’s greatness and sovereignty. He also proclaimed, “Bear with me a little, and I will show you, for I have yet something to say on God’s behalf. I will get my knowledge from afar and ascribe righteousness to my Maker. For truly my words are not false; one who is perfect in knowledge is with you.” (Job 36:2-4) Regarding God, Elihu concludes by saying, “Therefore men fear him; he does not regard any who are wise in their own conceit.” (Job 37:24) . Since God responds with, “Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words?” (Job 38:2, NLT), many believe Elihu was not a prophet. Regardless, the prophetic message of Elihu’s message seems to illuminate the futility in asking God why. We can certainly ask why He allowed something, but don’t expect to understand, as we are incapable of seeing all that He sees, nor understand as He understands. The human brain is finite, He is infinite.]
Elijah, one of the more-famous prophets in the Bible, and one of two people in the Old Testament that was taken away by God and never experienced death (see 2 Kings 2:11-12). Elijah’s ministry extended over the time of Ahab’s, Ahaziah’s, and part of Joram’s (also known as Jehoram, not to be confused with the son of King Jehoshaphat of the Southern Kingdom) reign as kings of the Northern Kingdom. Elijah fought against the spread of pagan worship, primarily against the fertility god Baal and the fertility goddess Asherah. As a prophet of God, he performed seven powerful miracles, including: He once prayed for a drought and it did not rain until he prayed again three and a half years later (see 1 Kings 17:1; 18:41-46; Luke 4:25; James 5:17); he resurrected the son of a widow (see 1 Kings 17:17-24); and on Mount Carmel after a dramatic display of God’s power, he slaughtered 450 priests of Baal (see 1 Kings 18:19-40). Elisha continued his ministry after Elijah was taken up in chariots of fire into heaven (see 2 Kings 2:1-14).
[Message: It would be difficult to summarize Elijah’s prophetic impact on Israel. Like most long-term prophets, Elijah was well-known and played the role of God’s representative extremely well through the years. As pointed out above, Elijah fought hard against idolatry, especially against the gods and goddesses of fertility. Why was fertility so important to a person, who, for the most part, saw first-hand the power of God, would want something more? Fertility was central to their success, they survived on the yield of their crops and the healthy reproduction of their livestock. We also know that having a large family was equally, if not more, important. Instead of being satisfied with God’s blessing, many embraced deplorable acts of worship that were an abomination to God. All they had to do is accept God and His blessings, but they felt they needed to do something, some effort on their part, to have that occur. People today still seek blessings through ritual and procedure, sure they may not be serving an idol as we read in the Old Testament, but they still look for a blessing as a result of their own effort. If we can summarize Elijah’s prophetic message it would be this, serve and listen to God, not some man-made approach to worship or follow blindly tradition. Yes, idol worship is still alive today, sometimes in the guise of godly worship.]
Elisha, Elijah’s successor, who asked Elijah for a “double portion of your spirit” (2 Kings 2:9) and was granted that request by God, and interestingly, he performed 14 miracles (twice the number of Elijah’s miracles). He resurrected a young boy (see 2 Kings 4:18-37); healed a Syrian commander from leprosy (see 2 Kings 5:1-14); and while being surrounded by a Syrian army in Dothan, one of his servants seeing the army panicked and ran to Elisha, who calmly prayed for his servant, “O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. And when the Syrians came down against him, Elisha prayed to the LORD and said, “Please strike this people with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness in accordance with the prayer of Elisha.” (2 Kings 6:17-18) Elisha was able to see, at least during this event, an otherwise invisible spiritual realm.
[Message: If one were to list all of Elisha’s miracles it would be a diverse list whose scope would range from single-family incidents to that of multi-national wars. Just like Elijah, he spent most of his time in the Northern Kingdom, although he did not prophesy regarding idol worshipers as much as Elijah did. Similar to the wide variety of miracles he performed, Elisha prophesied regarding a number of different events making it difficult to summarize with a single message. However, his presence, or perhaps more importantly, God’s presence as represented by a man, in a nation that had turned away from God and had little to no access to the Temple, gave comfort and hope to its people.]
Enoch, the first person to be taken by God. Like Elijah, Enoch did not experience death (see Genesis 5:24; Hebrews 11:5). Genesis tells us that he “walked with God,” but not much else is offered. We read later in Jude, “It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones, to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” (Jude 14-15) A quote from the book of Enoch[2] (or 1 Enoch), one of three Hebrew apocalyptic themed apocryphal books that are traditionally attributed to Enoch, although none of which have been accepted as canonical scripture.
[Message: Still to this day a number of Biblical scholars believe that the book of Enoch should be in the Bible, while others would include all three as pseudepigrapha books (falsely attributed to an author) that are claimed to be written by Enoch, often using the justification that Jude clearly quoted out of it in his epistle. First, we need to remember that there are a number of non-biblical books referenced in the Bible (Paul referred to several, see Acts 17:28; 1 Corinthians 15:33; Titus 1:12). Secondly, since Enoch and the Book of Enoch were important parts of Jewish history, and understanding that most of Jude’s early audience would have been familiar with the text, they would have been able comprehend his point. However, even though the document that is known today as the book of Enoch (or 1 Enoch) is not considered inspired by God in its entirety, doesn’t mean that the quote is not from an actual prophecy. It is considered by many to be the earliest prophesy regarding Jesus’ second coming. The prophetic message is one of hope that Jesus will return and close the period of corruption and darkness that Jude himself is prophesying (warning) about.]
Ezekiel, one of the major prophets, is also one of the key prophets needed to unlock eschatology (sorry about the pun). God had Ezekiel initially ‘act out’ much of the prophecy given to him, including predicting the fall of Jerusalem. Towards the end of his book, Ezekiel appears to have written about a series of ‘events’ in chronological order, some of which have recently been fulfilled (his vision of the dry bones coming back to life again in chapter 37 depicted God’s promise of renewal of His people and the return of the nation Israel) while others extend into the Millennium (the thousand-year reign of Christ, see Revelation 20:1-6). Much of Ezekiel’s prophecies predicted dark days, he also prophesied hope and reassurance for the exiles in Babylon and those left behind.
[Message: The theme of obedience is central to most of the writing prophets. Some of Ezekiel’s words expressed the inevitable destruction of the Southern Kingdom (Judah), leaving his Jewish audience (both present at that time and future readers) devastated without hope. But, as pointed out above, God had Ezekiel continue to prophesy well into the future. His primary message was not about the repercussions of being disobedient, it was that God will offer them another chance and promises their return as a nation. Ezekiel’s words are still valid today as we have seen fulfillment of chapter 37 and now await the beginning of chapters 38 and 39, see section on Ezekiel in “An Examination of the End Times” regarding Magog.]
Ezra, known as a priest and a scribe, led the second expedition of Jews back to Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity. While there, he was influential in reintroducing God’s law to the people and was the author of the book of Ezra. To some, he is the author of several apocryphal books including some with a apocalyptic theme (typically named 2-3 Esdras, as found in the Latin Vulgate), which would give him the status of being a prophet as well. However, this is not substantiated in the Hebrew text. It is also interesting to note that Ezra is believed to be the author of the Chronicles, and according to the Jewish Mishnah and Talmud Tractate Megillah,[3] Ezra is the prophet known as Malachi. Which again is not substantiated in Scripture. A great man of God and a strong leader, but likely not a prophet.
[Message: Perhaps not a prophet, but “the hand of the LORD his God was on him.” (Ezra 7:6b, see also Ezra 7:9, 28; 8:18, 22, 31) He was certainly a godly leader and a powerful teacher as the people repented when they heard him read the Law of Moses (see Ezra 10:9-17). The book of Ezra emphasizes God’s covenant faithfulness in bringing them back to Jerusalem. Not only seen in the forgiving of His people, but also in the favorable influencing of pagan kings. God promised to redeem His people, and He did.]
Gad, not the seventh son of Jacob, but the prophet known as “David’s seer” (see 2 Samuel 24:11; 1 Chronicles 21:9). He was one of three prophets (Samuel, Nathan, and Gad) who chronicled the acts of David (see 1 Chronicles 29:29). He and Nathan were also involved with the layout of the Levites and musical instruments at the Temple (see 2 Chronicles 29:25).
[Message: When David had ordered a census of the people of Israel and Judah, Gad was the prophet that God sent to him to select the judgment for this prideful act (see 2 Samuel 24:1-25, 1 Chronicles 21:1-30). Instead of choosing, David deferred to God and His mercy. A pestilence then killed 70,000 men, but before the angel of destruction was done with the plague, David pleaded with God to stop killing people for something he had done. God then gave instructions to Gad to tell David where to build an altar and offer Him sacrifices. Gad then conveyed to David that he was to build an altar on the threshing floor of Araunah (also known as Ornan) the Jebusite. David then purchased the land and built an altar. He offered to God both burnt offerings and peace offerings (see Leviticus 1:1-17; 3:1-17) and the plague stopped. The prophetic message focused on the arrogance and pride of David. While humanity might consider David’s actions as being a minor infraction, God saw David’s prideful heart. Even though David is the only person God referred to as “a man after his own heart” (see 1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22), he still succumbed to pride. It should be noted that the threshing floor that he bought, later became the location where the Temple was built (see 2 Chronicles 3:1).]
Gideon, also known as Jerubbaal (meaning “let Baal contend against him,” see Judges 6:32), the fifth judge recorded in the book of Judges, was called by God to defeat the Midianites and stop the spread of idolatry among the Israelites. He was first introduced hiding from the Midianites in a winepress threshing wheat when an angel of God appeared. The angel called him a “mighty man of valor” (see Judges 6:11-12), perhaps referring to a past military career, but more likely a reference to his future status. God wanted Gideon to lead a small army against the Midianites so that it would be clearly understood that is was God who provided the victory. Gideon is also remembered for his ‘fleece test’ where he was asking God for assurance before encountering the Midianites (see Judges 6:36-40). Even though being reasonably successful fighting idolatry, the Israelites returned to Baal after his death (see Judges 8:33).
[Message: Gideon was convinced that God had abandoned His people as they were now “into the hand of Midian” (see Judges 6:13). So when he encountered the angel, he was skeptical. After witnessing God consume his offering that was placed on a rock in front of him, Gideon was convinced, for the moment, that God was with him. His first task was to tear down his father’s altar to Baal and the Asherah. He was also to burn the wood from the Asherah to sacrifice two bulls. After doing this he became afraid of his family and neighbors in fear of being killed, who then gave him his name Jerubbaal. The text then jumps to the Valley of Jezreel where the Midianites and Amalekites gathered together and we read that “the Spirit of the LORD clothed Gideon.” (Judges 6:34) He called the Abiezrites to follow him and he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, calling each to help in an engagement against the Midianites and Amalekites. Receiving too many men, God wanted Gideon to reduce their number so that the Israelites would recognize that the victory was from God, not through man’s efforts. Perhaps still skeptical, God has Gideon sneak into the enemy’s camp to hear what they are saying. Gideon overheard two men discussing a dream along with the interpretation, “this is no other than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel; God has given into his hand Midian and all the camp.” (Judges 7:14b) When he heard this he worshiped God and was convinced of victory, which they were. God confused the enemy and they ended up doing battle among themselves. God continued to give victory to Gideon until Israel was free again. The people of Israel wanted to make Gideon their king, but he refused. The prophetic message is that even as God’s people were sinning, in this case being heavily involved in Baal and Asherah worship, He heard and responded to their cries (see Judges 6:7). God is always faithful in keeping His promises. But sadly the Israelites had a memory problem and returned to idol worship after Gideon died.]
Habakkuk, being the author of the book of Habakkuk, is one of the minor prophets. Believed to have been written before the fall of the Assyrian Empire and the rise of the Babylonian Empire. The book’s opening sentence, “O LORD, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear?” (Habakkuk 1:1a), has appealed to many seeking urgent attention from God. Including Martin Luther who was recommended to read Habakkuk by a friend during a difficult time of his life. It was during his studying of the prophet when Luther came across, “But the righteous shall live by his faith” (Habakkuk 2:4b), which helped him see that salvation was provided by God through faith, not of works (see also Ephesians 2:8-9). This ‘revelation’ sparked the Protestant Reformation movement.
[Message: Very little is known about Habakkuk, some apocryphal sources offer additional information, but nothing reliable. From the constant use of the future tense in speaking of the Chaldean (Babylonian) invasion and destruction (see Habakkuk 1:5, 6, 12), that the prophet must have written before the invasion of Nebuchadnezzar, who made Jehoiakim a vassal king under the king of Babylon (see 2 Kings 24:1). Yet it is clear from Habakkuk 2:3 that the prophecy would shortly be fulfilled, plus there is no references to the reigns of Josiah or Jehoahaz. Some Bible scholars divide the book into three parts corresponding to the chapters, and assign the first chapter to the reign of Jehoiakim, the second to that of Jehoiachin, and the third to that of Zedekiah when Jerusalem was besieged for the third time by Nebuchadnezzar. The Israelites had seen and experienced God using pagan nations to judge and punish them, and here Habakkuk is asking how long is He going to use these unholy nations against them. God tells Habakkuk that all nations will at some point be judged including Babylon. God also tells him that those that trust and have faith in God keeping His promises, that they will be righteous in His eyes, and those that trust and boast in their own efforts will not be considered righteous. The prophetic message has three major points: 1) that God will be using the Chaldeans to punish Judah’s disobedience; 2) that they need to remain faithful to Him regardless (as many will be displaced and held in captivity soon); and 3) the assurance that their captors would be judged for their actions in the future, In summary, keep your eyes on God, He will see you through.]
Haggai, another minor prophet author. As the Israelites first began to return from Babylon, due to a number of circumstances, delayed rebuilding the Temple. The book of Haggai, reminded them of the importance of the Temple and commanded them to end their delay and begin construction immediately. Very little is known about the prophet.
[Message: Haggai records four discourses, the first two were addressed to Zerubbabel, the people’s governor, and to Joshua the High Priest, regarding the lack of interest in rebuilding the Temple. The people responded to the first discourse and the building of the Temple resumed. But they were slow in getting the work done, so three weeks later Haggai offers some encouragement. A couple of months go by with still little progress, so Haggai approaches the priests with some questions aimed to open their eyes to the urgency of building the Temple so that they can enjoy God’s blessings. The fourth and final discourse was addressed to Zerubbabel only. Perhaps in response to him inquiring about the political revolutions which Haggai had predicted in his second discourse (see Haggai 2:1-9), he is assured that they will not take place in his lifetime. God promises Zerubbabel that He will make him like a signet ring, representing royal authority, perhaps referring to Zerubbabel sharing in the yet-future Millennial kingdom.[4] The prophetic message of Haggai may be difficult to understand as Christians are now the Temple of God. But during this post-exile period of time, the Temple was a necessary component for atonement of sins, and while the Israelites were able to live, they would be even more blessed if the Temple was back in service. God wanted them to serve Him so He could bless and serve them.]
Hanani, the father of the prophet Jehu (not King Jehu), was sent to Judah’s King Asa because he relied on the king of Syria and not God. He told the king that he was foolish and from that moment on he will be engaged in wars. After hearing this, Asa put Hanani in stocks (see 2 Chronicles 16:7-10). There are four others in the Old Testament with the name Hanani, including two priests.
[Message: Hanani told Asa, “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him.” (2 Chronicles 16:9) God gives ‘hiṯ·ḥǎz·zēq’,[5] a verb that means to be strengthened, to be courageous, and to overcome, to those who trust and follow Him. This promise applied to the king and it still applies for all Christians today.]
Hosea, in most English versions of the Bible, Hosea is the first book of the minor prophets. The name ‘Hosea’ means essentially ‘deliverance’ or ‘salvation’. It was the name Joshua (the predecessor to Moses) was born with but was later changed by Moses to Joshua, meaning “the Lord Saves,” or “Jesus,” in the Greek (see Numbers 13:8, 16). Besides this prophet, we see that a king (Northern Kingdom, see 2 Kings 15:30), and two other leaders (see 1 Chronicles 27:20; Nehemiah 10:23-24) had the same name. This prophet is identified as being the son of Beeri (not the same Beeri mentioned in Genesis 26:34). God used Hosea to prophesy to several kings, “in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.” (Hosea 1:1b) The Northern Kingdom (Israel) had become unfaithful to God and were worshiping idols. Hosea was told by God to marry a whore, whose unfaithfulness to her husband would serve as an example to the nation of their unfaithfulness to God. Hosea warned the Northern Kingdom of pending punishment if they did not repent. The nation was ultimately punished by God with an invasion of the Assyrians.
[Message: As discussed earlier, idolatry was the main reason the Israelites were often judged and punished. The kingdom was split as a result of idolatry, both kingdoms fell due to their unfaithfulness to God, and the Israelites were later scattered around the world because they fell away from following God. Sadly, the Northern Kingdom started off on the wrong foot with the construction of two idols designed to keep the people from traveling south to Jerusalem during the pilgrimage festivals. This, combined with the fact that they never had a godly king, meant that idolatry ran rampant in the Northern Kingdom throughout its existence. Hosea was the last prophet sent to them. Hosea married a known prostitute, someone unfaithful to the husband to represent God being married to the Israelites. Their children marked out the different stages of that relationship with the names God chose for them. The first child was named ‘Yiz·re’ě(’)l’[6] (or ‘Jezreel’) meaning “God will scatter, and God will avenge.”[7] The second child was named ‘Lō(’)’rǔ·hā’·mā(h)’[8] (or ‘Lo-Ruhamah’) meaning “no mercy,” and the third child was named ‘Lō(’)’ǎm·mî’[9] (or ‘Lo-Ammi) meaning “not my people.” In summary, Hosea was presenting the Israelites with a choice. They were given another opportunity to reject their idols and come back to God, or face a very bleak future where God will scatter His people, have no mercy in punishment, and will no longer be their God. Hosea’s prophetic message is that God loves His people so much that He is giving them one more chance to repent. The book of Hosea closes with these words: “Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them; for the ways of the LORD are right, and the upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them.” (Hosea 14:9) Sadly, they didn’t listen. However, in Hosea 3:4-5 he wrote that God told him that they would one day return to the land, and they have (see also Deuteronomy 30:1-10; Isaiah 11:11-16; 41:1-29; 44:1-28; 45:14-25; 54:1-17; 65:1-16; Jeremiah 3:11-18; 23:5-8; 31:31-34; 32:1-38:22; Ezekiel 28:25-26; 34:11-12; 37:21-25; 39:28; Joel 2:18-27; Amos 9:14-15; Micah 2:12; Zechariah 8:7-8). God keeps His promises!]
Huldah, a prophetess during the reign of Josiah (the last good king of the Southern Kingdom, Judah). After the High Priest Hilkiah found the “Book of the Law,” and was read by the priests and the king, they realized that they, the nation under the reign of the previous king Amon, had seriously disobeyed God and repented. Josiah asked Hilkiah, along with several others to, “Go, inquire of the LORD for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found. For great is the wrath of the LORD that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us.” (2 Kings 22:13) They went to Huldah who told them that Judah will be destroyed because of their disobedience, but since Josiah immediately sought forgiveness after reading the Torah, he will not see the destruction, as the judgment of Judah will commence after his death.
[Message: The saying, “ignorance is no excuse,” applies to most judicial systems throughout time and jurisdiction, and God’s law is no exception. Due to an evil king’s reign, the people of Judah were lead astray from God and eventually forgot God and His regulations. When the law was read for the first time in many years, Josiah realized just how much an abomination their behavior had been before God and immediately tore his clothes, as he knew there would be ramifications for that behavior. When he heard Hildah’s prophecy he worked hard to remove all idols and destroy all of the pagan worship sites (see 2 Chronicles 23:1-24). The writer of chronicles wrote this about Josiah, “Before him there was no king like him, who turned to the LORD with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses, nor did any like him arise after him. Still the LORD did not turn from the burning of his great wrath, by which his anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked him. And the LORD said, “I will remove Judah also out of my sight, as I have removed Israel, and I will cast off this city that I have chosen, Jerusalem, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there.” (2 Chronicles 23:25-27) If God was going to punish the nation of Judah regardless of reform, repentance, and the return to Him as their God, what benefit did Hildah’s prophecy make? What was the message? The prophetic message was three-fold: 1) Josiah took the prophecy seriously, instead of doing nothing, he cleaned the nation because he knew it was an abomination to God and he loved serving God, it was the right thing to do, it was never about gaining favor; 2) that God is a just God, meaning that justice must be served, He will not tolerate disobedience forever (see also Psalm 89:14; Isaiah 61:8; Acts 10:34; Romans 12:19; Colossians 3:25); and 3) it was a lesson that demonstrated how ignorance is not a defense, sadly, a lesson lost by many believers today, Christians are not to be ignorant of God’s Word, Bible study is vital for the proper relationship and fellowship with Jesus.]
Iddo, a prophet in the Southern Kingdom, who is credited with the writing of the histories of Rehoboam and Abijah, the first two kings of the Southern Kingdom (see 2 Chronicles 12:15; 13:22). He also wrote about his visions regarding Jeroboam, the first king of the Northern Kingdom (see 2 Chronicles 9:29). Several other individuals named Iddo can be found in the Old Testament, some references use a slightly different form in the Hebrew.
[Message: Much of what was written by Iddo has been lost in history, including his visions regarding Jeroboam. It was a turbulent time period as the kingdom of Israel was divided into two. Ten tribes in the Northern Kingdom (they retained the name of Israel) and two tribes made up the Southern Kingdom (called Judah). None of the three kings listed here (Rehoboam, Abijah, and the ‘first’ Jeroboam) were considered good or godly kings, and with that understanding we can probably safely speculate that those writings were undoubtedly negative calling for reform and repentance. However, there is not enough Biblical evidence to determine what the prophetic message was.]
Isaac, the son of Abraham, was given the same promise given to his father, “Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you, for to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father. I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.” (Genesis 26:3-5) The promises given to Abraham (the Abrahamic Covenant) were reiterated and given to both Isaac and to Jacob (who later became Israel, the father of the twelve tribes).
[Message: Despite the fact that Isaac used the same ruse his father used of calling his wife his sister to Abimelech (see Genesis 20:2), God continued to bless Isaac, and when he traveled to Beersheba (see Genesis 21:31-33) God appeared to him that night and said, “I am the God of Abraham your father. Fear not, for I am with you and will bless you and multiply your offspring for my servant Abraham’s sake.” (Genesis 26:24b) These blessings were apparent to others as Abimelech later told Isaac, “We see plainly that the LORD has been with you.” (Genesis 26:28a) When Isaac was older, he desired to bless his son Esau even though God had made it clear that Jacob, the younger son, was to receive the blessing (plus, God told Rebekah, Isaac’s wife, the older son would serve the younger, see Genesis 25:23, see also 25:29-43). In an odd story of deception, Rebekah had Jacob go to Isaac for the blessing while Esau was out hunting. Isaac blessed Jacob with the words, “May God give you of the dew of heaven and of the fatness of the earth and plenty of grain and wine. Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed be everyone who blesses you!” (Genesis 27:28-29) This blessing, which also contained elements of the covenant given to Abraham, prophesied the blessings offered to the nation of Israel. The fact that Jacob received these blessings using deceit should not be thought that lying is acceptable to God. This is an example when humans think they need to ‘help’ God, if Rebekah would have trusted God, He would have undoubtedly accomplished the same result without deceit and the resulting hatred that followed. The prophetic message was that God would be with Jacob, who would later be known as Israel. The Abrahamic Covenant was passed on from Abraham through one son (Isaac, not Ishmael), from Isaac to one son (Jacob, not Esau), and from Jacob to his twelve sons, the twelve tribes of Israel.]
Isaiah, a long-term prophet to the kingdom of Judah who prophesied during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah (see Isaiah 1:1; 2 Kings. 19:2, 5, 6, 20; 20:1, 4, 7–9, 11, 14, 16, 19; 2 Chronicles. 26:22; 32:20, 32). The book of Isaiah is the first in the major prophet section in most Bibles. We read that Isaiah spoke to several kings, some for comfort while others were warned of pending punishment. But nothing compares to his prophecies regarding the coming Messiah, Jesus. Passages like, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7, see also Isaiah 7:14) offer a foretaste of the splendor of Jesus. Then in chapters 52 and 53 we read about Jesus’ death, resurrection, and the promise of salvation through Him.
[Message: The diversity and number of prophecies Isaiah wrote about make it nearly impossible to summarize, let alone reduce them to a few points on paper. However, there is one that should be specifically noted. While prophesying about the future glory of Israel and the coming new heaven and earth (Isaiah chapters 59-66), Isaiah again prophesied about the coming Messiah. We read in the gospel according to Luke, Jesus reading from the scroll of Isaiah, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19) being an excerpt from Isaiah 61:1-2. It should be noted where Jesus stopped reading, He stopped at the end of saying, “to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor,” but verse two in Isaiah continues by adding, “and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn.” Since the subject never changes, the proclamation of the day of vengeance will be made by Jesus during His second coming. As we discussed above (see under Huldah), that God is a just God, and now we know that He will bring justice by usurping evil people and all evil entities when He returns. Perhaps the prophetic message from Isaiah can, 1) be seen by the many fulfilled prophecies he wrote about, and 2) the most important prophecy of the Messiah coming to conquer sin and death, which was also fulfilled, all adding credence to the yet-future arrival of Jesus to conquer the devil and those that follow him, to begin His 1,000-year reign on earth.][10]
Jacob, who later was renamed ‘Israel’, is the father of twelve sons and at least one daughter (see Genesis 34:1). His sons, along with the adopted sons of Joseph, became the tribes of Israel (always listed as twelve in Scripture but there were actually 13 tribes with 14 names, more on that later, see “A People Group Known as the Hebrews”). Jacob received the same promises given to Abraham and Isaac. When Jacob was on his deathbed he blessed each of his sons, which as we look back in history, understand that those blessings were actually prophecies. For example, a special blessing was given to his son Judah, as being the royal line of which the Messiah would come from (see Genesis 49:8-12).
[Message: Jacob was the recipient of many promises from God, including the Covenant given to Abraham and Isaac. He also promised to be with Jacob at all times in his, now famous, “Jacob’s Ladder” dream (see Genesis 28:12-15). God made the nation of Israel from Jacob’s sons, and the Messiah, Jesus, came from line of Judah, Jacob’s fourth son. The overarching prophetic message offered through the words and actions of Jacob is that God keeps His promises. As each of those deathbed blessings became true, including the hope of the coming Savior.]
Jahaziel, the son of Zechariah (the son of Benaiah, a Levite), stood up during an assembly that was convened to discuss the pending invasion from the people of Moab and Ammon, and spoke to the people of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to King Jehoshaphat, that the battle belongs to the LORD, and that they will be victorious. He essentially told them to just stand by and watch (see 2 Chronicles 20:14-17).
[Message: In response to Jahaziel’s proclamation we read, “Then Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the LORD, worshiping the LORD. And the Levites, of the Kohathites and the Korahites, stood up to praise the LORD, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.” (2 Chronicles 20:18-19) A great burden was lifted off these people and God was praised. They were indeed victorious. In response to a plea from the king (see 2 Chronicles 20:5-12), God chose one man, who only appears this one time in Scripture (there are four others with the same name), to speak on His behalf. The primary prophetic message is again twofold, one, that God keeps His promises and, two, that He answers prayers. We need to remember that God delights in keeping His promises, which means we also need to trust that He will.]
Jehu, the son of Hanani, was a prophet that prophesied the destruction of Baasha (third king of the Northern Kingdom) and his house because of the evil he did in the sight of God (see 1 Kings 16:1-4, 7, 11-12). Jehu is also the name of four other individuals in the Old Testament, including the tenth king of the Northern Kingdom (son of a Jehoshaphat, but not the king). Jehu was also the prophet that warned King Jehoshaphat that he was helping the wicked and loving those that hated God (see 2 Chronicles 19:1-3), which led Jehoshaphat to reform the Southern Kingdom of Judah.
[Message: Jehu was sent to King Baasha of the Northern Kingdom and to King Jehoshaphat of the Southern Kingdom. To Baasha he explained why God was going to ‘sweep’ him and his house away (because he walked in the way of Jeroboam, who turned away from God and embraced idolatry). And to Jehoshaphat he gave a warning that wrath was coming, but noted that since “some good” was found in him he was allowed to setup reforms. God alone knows our hearts, Baasha was evil and God knew reform was not going to happen with him as king. Jehoshaphat, on the other hand, did have a heart for God and was allowed to live and institute reform. The prophetic message of Jehu is that we cannot fake our relationship with God.]
Jeremiah, the author of the book of Jeremiah and the book of Lamentations, wrote more than any of the other prophets in Scripture. Often referred to as the “Weeping Prophet,” due to the sorrowful nature of his prophecies that called for God’s harsh judgment. However, Jeremiah also wrote about God being willing to accept repentance. Plus, he wrote about God offering in the future a new covenant that He promises will be better than the covenant made with Moses on Mount Sinai. Here is the text:
Jeremiah 31:31 Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. 33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
Jeremiah was pointing to Jesus, writing about the new covenant (known by most as the New Testament) about salvation that is available only through Him. The new covenant does not replace the covenant given to the Israelites when God led them out of Egypt, the one they broke (the Mosaic Covenant was conditional, see “God’s Appointed Feasts”). Instead, the old covenant will be fulfilled by Jesus (see Matthew 5:17-18) allowing this new covenant that provides salvation, to be freely offered to others.
[Message: Like most of the writing prophets, trying to reduce or summarize Jeremiah’s prophetic message is nearly impossible. But if we focus on just the above passage, we hear of something truly radical. In a similar manner as seen in the covenant given to Abraham, God promises to do all the work. Notice the number of “I wills” in that text. He promises to put His law within them; write the law on their hearts; be their God and they will be His people; forgive their sins; and will remember their sin no more. Jeremiah continued to prophesy about future hope but does not state when and how this new covenant will be established. The New Testament writers, Paul and the author of Hebrews, offer some insight. “In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.” (Hebrews 8:13) “But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,” then he adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.” Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.” (Hebrews 10:12-18) “And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” (2 Corinthians 3:3-6) Jeremiah was clearly pointing to Jesus, who would do (and did) all the work for salvation. Perhaps the prophetic message of Jeremiah could be summed up with the words Peter spoke when he was preaching to the Gentiles about Jesus, “To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” (Acts 10:43)]
Job is rarely thought of being a prophet. The book of Job is considered the oldest book of the Bible, likely written during the time of Abraham. The author is unknown and the message is often debated. Job was a man totally devoted to God and righteous in His eyes (see Job 1:1). Satan questioned Job’s faith and God allowed Satan to test him. As Job was not privy to the conversation between God and Satan (see Job 1:6-12), he was not expecting nor given any reason for his suffering. When life turned upside-down, he simply acknowledged, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” (Job 1:21) But as his situation got progressively worse with friends essentially telling him to curse God and die, Job started to question God, leading him to say, “If only someone would listen to me! Look, I will sign my name to my defense. Let the Almighty answer me. Let my accuser write out the charges against me.” (Job 31:35, NLT) Then Elihu, hearing that Job still would not confess and saying he was righteous and hearing that his friends were not able to answer Job’s arguments, he took the opportunity to accuse Job of his arrogance, and reminds him of God’s great power. Then hearing God in a whirlwind, Job is humbled by God by asking him questions that are beyond any human’s comprehension and then Job acknowledges God’s sovereignty and recognized that he would not be able to understand why God does what He does. He admitted that God can do anything and no one can stop Him. God then restored Job’s family and wealth. In the Baba Batra Tractate of the Talmud,[11] rabbis claim that Job was a prophet to the Gentiles as he was able to reveal the truth about God to his Gentile friends. The Talmud also claims that Moses was the book’s author.
[Message: The book of Job, as pointed out above, is controversial and as such, is often avoided by teachers and pastors. Many believe the book explains why ‘good’ people suffer, but if that was true, what is the answer? We know we serve a sovereign God and as He told Moses, “For I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose.” (Exodus 33:19b, NLT) If we consider the underlying theme of the book of Job to be about why suffering occurs, we may miss the fundamental message of perseverance. Our lives before heaven are ’saturated’ in sin, and as a result, we live in a temporary imperfect world which includes pain and suffering. Since we cannot avoid these things, how we live for God, depending on Him for everything, through “thick and thin,” is our act of worship and witness to others. Paul wrote, “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (Romans 12:1-2, NLT) The book of Job encapsulates the ‘human experience’ which includes suffering, but it also includes the continual interaction with God, He is always there. Paul also wrote, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28) Perhaps the prophetic message Job is conveying is to rely on God, as He is faithful and will keep His promises.]
Joel, the son of Pethuel, wrote the book of Joel. He prophesied that a plague of locusts would come and destroy Judah and Israel. He also passionately wrote about God’s plea for them to return to Him. In his book he wrote about “the day of the LORD,” a reference to the end times. Promises of Judah’s and Jerusalem’s restoration are made to occur at that time along with the warning that God will judge all nations. The apostle Peter quoted Joel 2:28-32 from the Septuagint[12] on Pentecost (in the Old Testament it is known as ’Shavout’, or the Feast of Weeks), considered to be the ‘birthday’ of the church (see Acts 2:16-21). The name Joel is another common name in the Old Testament (meaning “The Lord is God”), as there are twelve others with the same name.
[Message: The book of Joel is another book that is widely interpreted. The central theme again, like many of the other writing prophets, is the need for repentance. As disobedience has escalated to the point that punishment is inevitable. Many ask when did Joel write this book and to whom is he addressing it to? Since he mentions “the house of the LORD” and various offerings that would require the Temple, does that mean this period of judgment had occurred earlier when the Temple existed? Or is it a reference to a time yet-future when the Temple will be rebuilt?[13] Even though he often talks about Israel and Judah, the wording “all inhabitants of the land,” could refer to all people on the earth (see Joel 1:2, 14). The Hebrew word ‘ā’·rěṣ’, whose root word ‘eres’,[14] translated here as ’land’, appears over 2,500 times in the Old Testament is most often translated as ‘earth’. Much of the text aligns well with the ‘tribulation’ period that is detailed in the book of Revelation. The primary purpose of Joel’s prophecy is to give people an opportunity to repent, before it is too late. Which means “its message is valid for all time.”[15]]
Jonah, the son of Amittai, is considered by many to be the most successful prophet. As a whole ‘pagan’ nation responded to his warnings that God would soon destroy them if they didn’t repent, which they promptly did. However, Jonah is perhaps best known as the ‘hesitant’ prophet, as he saw the people of Nineveh as enemies of Israel, and as a good patriot, likely thought it best that they should be destroyed (being a vicious and an ungodly nation). So instead of going to Nineveh, he took a boat and headed towards Tarshish, away from Nineveh. God caused a severe storm which Jonah admitted being the cause, so they threw him overboard. He was then swallowed by a great fish that God prepared. He was kept alive in the belly for three days and three nights at which time he prayed and the fish vomited him out. Jonah then proceeded to Nineveh. Everyone from the king down responded to Jonah’s warning. Jonah was angry with God for His compassion for the people of Nineveh. More than 120,000 people were saved from destruction (see Jonah 4:11). God used a special fast-growing plant that provided temporary shade for Jonah to help him understand that compassion for people is important to Him.
[Message: Jonah prophesied that Jeroboam II would restore most of Israel’s boundaries, which he did accomplish (see 2 Kings 14:25). Using that verse we see that Jonah lived at the time (or just before) the reign of Jeroboam II (estimated to be 786-746 BC). Nineveh is considered one of the oldest cities in antiquity (dating back several thousand years before Jonah), it was likely the largest city in the Neo-Assyrian Empire at that time. This fourth and final stage of the long history of the Assyrian Empire that pursued world domination through the brutal conquering of nations. Jonah undoubtedly thought that they needed to be stopped and God’s judgment would be a good way to do that (as the lives of Israelite soldiers would be spared). Many ask why was God concerned about a pagan nation? Most of God’s prophets had been sent to (or for) God’s people. There is no clear answer to that question, except that they worshiped idols and practiced extreme brutality. But we know that kind of behavior was nothing new among pagan nations. Some believe that this was God’s way of ’slowing down’ the drive for world dominance, as He will later use the Assyrians to conquer the Northern Kingdom (see 2 Kings chapter 17). There is, however, something that most readers miss, this well-established pagan nation did the unexpected, it repented from the king on down to every citizen. This was unprecedented! While it is impossible to think like God, we need to trust Him regardless of how difficult (or seemingly impossible) the task or direction He is pointing us towards. If the book of Jonah was only about the change of heart the Assyrians had, then the book would have likely stopped at the end of chapter three. But as we read Jonah chapter four, we see that God was realigning Jonah’s thinking from viewing the Assyrians as enemies to that of understanding God’s perspective, He saw 120,000 lost souls. Perhaps that is the prophetic message God wants each of us to learn, He sent His Son to die with the desire to save all people (see 1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9), as He loves everyone the same. Regardless if we think they are the enemy or too much of a sinner.]
Joseph, the son of Jacob and his favorite wife, Rachel. When he was 17 years old, he had two dreams that indicated one day that his family, including Jacob, would bow down before him. As a result of him arrogantly boasting about his dreams and being favored by their father, his brothers sold him into slavery and ended up in Egypt. He served in an official’s household for several years but due to the official’s wife accusing him of attempt of rape, Joseph was imprisoned for 13 years. While in prison, he interpreted dreams of two fellow inmates. When Pharaoh had two dreams that no one could interpret for him, one of the men that Joseph had previously successfully interpreted a dream, remembered Joseph and told the Pharaoh about him. He was brought before Pharaoh and interpreted both of his dreams. They were about a coming period of severe wide-area famine. Pharaoh being impressed with Joseph elevated him to be second in command over all of Egypt and was given the responsibility to prepare for the famine. Later the famine brought his family to Egypt in search of food. Ultimately Jacob and all his sons were reunited and spent over 400 years in Egypt. (See Genesis chapters 39-50 and Exodus 12:40).
[Message: God gave Joseph the correct interpretation of the dreams which ultimately led to the family of Jacob to transform into the nation of Israel during the following 400 years in Egypt. God was with Joseph and “the LORD caused all that he did to succeed in his hands.” (Genesis 39:3b) God blessed the official’s house (his name was Potiphar) for Joseph’s sake (see Genesis 39:5). Later, God gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison (see Genesis 39:21). God blessed Joseph in everything except freedom as he was being prepared for a special job, that of being second in command in all of Egypt. We see the primary objective of Joseph’s prophecy of the famine may have been the need to prepare, but we also see that it was also God’s way in reuniting Jacob’s family and growing them in size and strength (in partial fulfillment of the covenant given to Abraham, see Genesis 15:5; Deuteronomy 10:22). Why have a seven-year famine just to bring a family together? Remember, our ways are not God’s ways. After the 400-year period, Israel was a formidable nation, so much so that even Egypt’s Pharaoh at that time was concerned (see Exodus 1:8-10). In addition to building up a nation, God used their departure to demonstrate to the world (and to the Israelites) His power and might as seen in the ten plagues and the other miracles performed on their way out of Egypt. Plus, leading them out of Egypt became a way God regularly used to identify Himself as their God in Scripture (see Exodus 16:6, 32; 20:2; 29:46; Leviticus 11:45; 19:36; 22:33; 23:43; 25:38, 42, 55; 26:13, 45; Numbers 15:41; Deuteronomy 5:6; Judges 2:1; 6:8-9; 1 Samuel 8:8; 10:18; 12:6; 2 Samuel 7:6; 2 Chronicles 6:5; Psalm 81:10; Jeremiah 34:13; Amos 2:10). But perhaps the greatest prophetic message the story of Joseph provides is hope. Here is a boy who God humbled through servitude and imprisonment for many years to being a man of great power and influence. Joseph was blessed during those days of incarceration, just as Christians are blessed in many ways today in life, but we are also incarcerated in sin. Our hope is to be with Jesus in heaven, completely free of sin. Christians should always continue, like Joseph, to serve God, regardless of life’s scenarios.]
Joshua, was for many years an assistant to Moses. He represented the tribe of Ephraim when Moses sent members of each tribe out to reconnoiter the Promised Land. He and Caleb were the only two that came back willing to enter the land. Due to everyone else’s lack of faith and unwillingness to enter, they spent nearly forty years in the wilderness as that unbelieving generation died off. When it was time to enter the Promised Land, both Joshua and Caleb were still alive and allowed to enter. Joshua became Moses’ successor and was promised that God would be with him as long as he was obedient. The author of the book of Joshua is unknown, however it is apparent that the author saw and heard things firsthand, some believe that Joshua may have written portions of the book. As God’s representative to His people, God spoke directly to him and gave him several prophetic insights including the well-known event of Jericho’s defeat when the walls came down. After learning an invaluable lesson from being defeated at Ai, that of seeking the Lord first, Joshua and the Israelites went on to be victorious conquering much of the land. A number of notable events occurred during this time including the sun standing still during a major battle (see Joshua 10:1-15). Joshua also allotted the land to the various tribes as directed by God. Once everyone was settled, Joshua addressed the leadership in Shechem and asked them to choose who they were going to serve, the LORD God, the gods of their fathers, or the gods of the Amorites. Joshua loudly proclaimed, “But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15) They all agreed on serving God and the covenant between them and God was renewed that day.
[Message: The name Joshua in Hebrew is ‘yehô·šǔa’,[16] which translates to “YHWH delivers,” or when transliterated it becomes ‘Jesus’.[17] It is interesting to see a book of the Bible that could be named ‘Jesus’ with a leader with the same name (it is common practice to modify the spelling of similar sounding names to prevent confusion). Joshua is tasked to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. Perhaps as a model pointing to the future when Jesus comes to offer deliverance from sin, and promises eternal life in the ultimate of promised lands, namely heaven. Joshua had several prophetic insights that came true involving the Israelites, the prophetic message of nearly every one of them is that God keeps His promises. Seeing the fulfillment of the leading his people into the Promised Land helps us see that the promise of spending eternity with Jesus in heaven will also be a promise kept.]
Lamech, the son of Methuselah and the father of Noah. When Noah was born, Lamech prophesied referring to Noah, “Out of the ground that the LORD has cursed, this one shall bring us relief from our work and from the painful toil of our hands.” (Genesis 5:29) The name ‘Noah’ means ‘comfort’ or 'rest' (from the Hebrew word ‘nāḥam’,[18] “to bring relief”). The worldwide flood served two primary roles in the Bible, first to purge godlessness and evil from the world, and to be a model for the ultimate judgment, the final destruction of evil, while those that believe in Jesus will be saved, bringing comfort. All people since the flood are from the line of Noah, including the line leading to Jesus.
[Message: There are two Lamechs listed early in Genesis, one the son of Methushael (in the line of Cain), who was the first polygamist and also killed a man for hitting him, is considered an evil person who was arrogant towards God (see Genesis 4:18-24). The other Lamech, the son of Methuselah (born many years later in the line of Seth), when his son Noah was born, he understood from God that Noah would deliver the world from corruption. The worldwide flood serves as a model for the final judgment on earth, the message of Lamech’s prophecy is two-fold: 1) the righteous were delivered from destruction on Noah’s ark; and 2) the righteous will be delivered from the final judgment and destruction through the work on the cross by Jesus.]
Malachi, the last writing prophet of the Old Testament. Since the name means “my messenger,” many believe it is a title, not a name. Regardless, Malachi calls for repentance and reform from the priests (see Malachi 1:6-2:9) and from the people (see Malachi 2:10-17; 3:7-18). He then promises the arrival of two messengers, one before the other, referring to John the Baptist (see Malachi 3:1), and Jesus (see Malachi 3:2-6). Malachi records God imploring His people to “Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.” (Malachi 3:7-10) Malachi closes the book with a brief look at the “Day of the Lord.”[19] Those that are evildoers will be destroyed while those that fear the LORD will be saved. In the last two verses of the Old Testament, Malachi notes that God will send Elijah the prophet before “the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.” (Malachi 4:5b)
[Message: As the last voice of God for several hundred years, Malachi has a lot to say in such a short book. He discusses the need for reform, the promise of the coming Messiah and His herald, and the return of Elijah, plus much more. Even though the events of the next 400 years have already been prophesied by Daniel,[20] Malachi is the last Old Testament prophet until John the Baptist. As a whole, the message of Malachi may be viewed as words of encouragement, a reminder to turn away from sin and always trust God, even during extended periods of silence.]
Micah, prophesied in the Southern Kingdom of Judah during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, concurrent with Isaiah. He is believed to be the author of the book that bears his name. In the book he identifies himself as Micah of Moresheth, a town he later calls Moresheth-gath (see Micah 1:14), essentially meaning “belonging to Gath.” He immediately opens with a warning of pending destruction for Samaria (the capital of the Northern Kingdom) and Jerusalem (the capital of the Southern Kingdom). He then lists their many sins and denounces their leadership. Micah also tells us the location where the Messiah will be born, “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.” (Micah 5:2) Although destruction is coming, Micah intersperses his message with hope and the promise of deliverance. It is interesting to note that Jeremiah later quotes Micah in his own book (see Jeremiah 26:18 citing Micah 3:12). Micah was a successful prophet as the people repented and judgment postponed. There are a number of ‘Micahs’ in the Old Testament, some with slight variations in the Hebrew, including ‘Micaiah’ the next prophet, which adds a short ‘ho’ sound to the end.
[Message: Most prophets that are given prophesies of doom and destruction, also are given words of future hope, Micah is no exception. Even though often referred to as “the prophet of judgment,” much of his book is indeed consolatory. Perhaps we can summarized the prophetic message of Micah with the last words of the book: “Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. You will show faithfulness to Jacob and steadfast love to Abraham, as you have sworn to our fathers from the days of old.” (Micah 7:18-20) God keeps His promises, even in the wake of disobedience.]
Micaiah, the son of Imiah, had the reputation of being hated by King Ahab because Micaiah never prophesied in his favor (see 1 Kings 22:8). When summoned by Ahab as requested by Jehoshaphat to inquire of God whether they should combine forces to invade Ramoth-gilead, Micaiah sarcastically responded with a ‘yes’, but he then said that he saw the people of Israel scattered and their leader would be killed (see 1 Kings 22:15-17). Despite the warning they did go to Ramoth-gilead and King Ahab was indeed killed.
[Message: We have all heard the expression, “Don’t kill the messenger,” a strange, but often done practice, even for prophets (see Matthew 23:37-39; Luke 13:34-35), but that does not apply here, instead, Micaiah was thrown into prison by Ahab and that’s the last we hear about him. Perhaps deluded by his own grandeur, Ahab often did things contrary to God, even at the end of his life he thought he knew better. He died exactly as Elijah foretold (see 1 Kings 21:17-24). The prophetic message is that you can’t outsmart God, as only He knows the future.]
Moses, the son of Amram and Jochebed (both Levites), was the leader of the Israelites during their departure from Egypt and during their time in the desert before entering the Promised Land. He was the writer of the first five books of the Bible and was given the epitaph of, “And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, none like him for all the signs and the wonders that the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, and for all the mighty power and all the great deeds of terror that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.” (Deuteronomy 34:10-12) He was also the recipient of God’s Law. How does one summarize the life of Moses in just a few sentences?
Moses was born in Egypt during the reign of a Pharaoh (king) who knew nothing about Joseph and saw the growing numbers of the Israelites as a threat and ordered all newborn Hebrew males to be killed. Moses’ mother would not allow him to be killed, so she took a basket and water-proofed it with bitumen and sent Moses down the Nile River. Along the way the basket was seen by the Pharaoh’s daughter who adopted him as her own son. He grew up in the royal palace. At the age of forty he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew and killed the man and secretly buried him, at least so he thought. He fled to the nation of Midian and became a shepherd for another forty years.
God heard the cries of the oppressed people of Israel and got the attention of Moses through a burning bush in the wilderness that didn’t look quite right, it was burning but the fire was not consuming the bush. When he approached he was told to remove his sandals, as the ground was sacred where he stood. God spoke to Moses through the bush and commissioned him to free the Israelites from the oppression of the Pharaoh and take them into the Promised Land. Moses at first did not feel that he could do the job. God told him he would not be alone as he was going to be joined by his brother Aaron.
Moses went with Aaron to meet with the Pharaoh to allow the Israelites to leave Egypt. The Pharaoh refused to let them go, which led to ten very powerful plagues released by Moses: 1) water turned to blood; 2) frogs everywhere; 3) gnats in the air; 4) flies all around; 5) Egyptian livestock died; 6) boils on people and animals; 7) tremendous thunder, massive hail, and fire falling from the sky; 8) locusts that ate crops; 9) absolute darkness; and 10) death of every firstborn child, unless protected by the blood of the Passover Lamb. Finally persuaded by the death of his son, the Pharaoh agrees to let the people go. But later changed his mind and has his army pursue them. God parted the Red Sea to allow the Israelites safe passage across and then destroyed the Egyptian army that was in pursuit by allowing the water to return and flow again.
Moses led his people to the area around Mount Sinai where they stayed for a year. During that time he went up to God on the top of the mountain to receive the law, the plans for the Tabernacle, and the tablets that had the “ten words” (later became known as the Ten Commandments) that were written on them by God. While on the mountain many of the people convinced Aaron to make a golden calf to worship. When Moses came down and saw and heard what they were doing, he threw the tablets on the ground in anger. God ordered those that were against Him to be killed, about 3,000 men died in that encounter.
While in the wilderness, Moses has the Tabernacle built per God’s instructions. This ‘movable’ structure allowed God to dwell among His people. It consisted of a two-room tent surrounded by a ‘fenced’ courtyard. In the courtyard were the bronze altar for burning sacrifices and the laver used by the priests to wash themselves. The first room of the tent, known as the “holy place” contained the light stand (also known as the Menorah), the table of “show bread,” and the golden altar of incense. A curtain separated the second room, known as the “most holy place” (or “Holy of Holies”). In that room, which was visited only once a year by the High Priest, were the Ark of the Covenant and the Mercy Seat (the lid of the Ark). It should be noted that every detail explained in the text in Exodus text regarding the Tabernacle, pointed to Jesus.
When the Israelites came to the border of the Promised Land, Moses had one representative from each tribe enter and spy out the land. When they returned, ten of the spies were frightened by the current occupants and vehemently opposed entering the land. The other two spies, Caleb and Joshua, believed that God would give them victory, but the people believed the ten spies and almost stoned Caleb and Joshua, but God intervened. As a result of their disbelief in God’s promises, the people were not allowed in the land. That generation was to spend the rest of their lives in the wilderness. Only their offspring would be allowed to enter the Promised Land.
During their time in the wilderness, the people often rebelled against God and Moses. Even though God provided food and water, they regularly complained. At one time Moses was told to ask water to come out of a specific rock, but due to his anger towards the people, he struck the rock with his staff (like he had done in the past) instead of asking the rock for water. Since he disobeyed God he was not allowed to enter the Promised Land. He misrepresented God to the people as God was not angry to them, but Moses was.
Moses was a remarkable man, growing from his insecurity to being a faithful leader and follower of God. He anointed and established the Aaronic Priesthood, spoke directly to God, was given the Law, was able to enter the Tabernacle even though he was not a priest, and many more God-ordained unique roles and tasks that only Moses was allowed to do. At one time Moses was even willing to forfeit his salvation if that would save his people (see Exodus 32:32).
[Message: Moses’ life can be reviewed in three phases, each being essentially forty years in duration. He was raised as royalty and enjoyed what we might call, “the high life.” He spent the next forty years as a shepherd, often considered, especially by the Egyptians, as being a lowly occupation. It was only during the last third of Moses’ life when we see him as God’s chosen leader of the Israelites. In those forty years we read how God used Moses as His ambassador to Pharaoh, prophet and leader for His people, recipient of His Law, and the instrument of many miracles, making him a man that has been revered throughout history. As alluded to earlier, it would be difficult to summarize his prophetic impact. But there are two major prophetic insights that are often overlooked, one was his prophesy regarding the “curses and blessings” (see Deuteronomy chapters 27-28). Moses laid out what would occur if they, at some point in the future, disobeyed God, and then he described the blessings they would receive if they did obey. But many miss that Moses was speaking prophetically and is painfully describing their inevitable future, a disastrous future that did occur. But even after such devastation, God promised the restoration of Israel (see Deuteronomy chapters 29-30). The second prophetic insight is that Moses, like several others in the Old Testament (Melchizedek, Joseph, etc.), is a ’type’ or ‘model’ of the coming Messiah. Both insights offering the hope of restoration.]
Nahum of Elkosh, whose vision is recorded in the book of Nahum, was sent to Nineveh approximately 100 years after Jonah. The people of Nineveh had returned to their wicked ways, but did no listen to Nahum. His warning regarding the destruction of Nineveh came true.
[Message: Just like Moses’ cry for the Israelites to always obey God knowing the destruction that lies ahead, Nahum described the complete annihilation of Nineveh and the Assyrian Empire if they did not repent. Even though the chosen instrument to bring judgment on the Northern Kingdom (Israel), the Assyrians fell back to they old brutal behavior and would not cease their evil practices and became judged themselves. God fulfills His promises, even the destruction and eternal elimination of empires and nations.]
Nathan was a prophet during the reign of David and Solomon. He is introduced as the prophet David approached with the idea of building a Temple for God, and He initially said, “Go, do all that is in your heart, for the LORD is with you.” (2 Samuel 7:3) But later that night God told Nathan that he is to tell David that he will have an eternal dynasty, however, he is not to build the Temple, that job will be given to one of his sons. Then later after David slept with Bathsheba and finding out she was pregnant and had her husband Uriah killed, Nathan was the prophet God sent to confront the king (see 2 Samuel 12:1-15). Nathan, along with the priest Zadok, anointed Solomon as the next king. There were several other individuals named Nathan in the Old Testament, including one son of David.
[Message: Did Nathan make a mistake? Can a prophet of God say something contrary to God’s wishes? Even the potentially corrupt prophet Balaam couldn’t speak something different than what God wanted him to say. Perhaps he did not inquire of God before speaking, thinking what he was asked was a “no brainer” and spoke inadvertently without asking what God would want him to say. Regardless of why or how, God used the occasion to not only correct Nathan that night, but also to have him present a unique covenant to David, known as the Davidic Covenant. In that covenant God promises that He will make his name great, appoint a place for His people, give him rest from his enemies, a son of his will build the Temple, and God will make from his offspring an eternal kingdom. Nathan did as God instructed (see 2 Samuel 7:5-17). David’s son Solomon had the Temple built, and with Jesus, a descendent of David, his kingdom is indeed eternal. We see that each fulfilled promise offers evidence that the remaining elements of the covenant will also be fulfilled. Nathan’s prophecy brings hope to both the nation of Israel, and to all humanity.]
The Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, is a name you probably thought you would never see in a list of prophets, as he was considered a ruthless king. In his second year of his reign, he had a bizarre, and obviously disturbing to him, dream. The king had an enormous staff of magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and Chaldeans, who were tasked by the king to tell him the dream and interpret it for him. But they could not, which angered the king who was ready to kill them all. Daniel and his companions were included in the group of people that were known as the wise men that were to be executed. When they got to Daniel he asked what was going on and why the executions. He was told about the king’s dream and so he told them to stop the killing, as he will interpret the dream for the king. After Daniel and his friends sought God’s discernment, he came before Nebuchadnezzar and told him “there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries” (Daniel 2:28a) and described the dream with an interpretation (which will later be examined in this book).[21] This impressed the king, and like Joseph many years earlier, Daniel was politically elevated to the top just below the king. Nebuchadnezzar had a second dream that Daniel also interpreted. This dream was about him and his pride and was warned that he will be humbled for seven years, which began shortly afterwards. When he was restored he praised God saying, “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.” (Daniel 4:37)
[Message: The first dream gave insight to the future of the Babylonian empire through to the Roman empire and beyond. In his second dream Nebuchadnezzar was warned that if he continued to sin he would be punished for seven years. One year later while pridefully discussing the kingdom, God inflicted a form of madness on him, which lasted seven years. At the end he was a changed man who acknowledged God in allowing him to be the king. The Bible records the fulfillment of Nebuchadnezzar’s second dream and we have seen the majority of his first dream fulfilled, this helps us recognize that the prophecy of the kingdom of “iron mixed with clay” and the stone “cut out by no human hand” (see Daniel 2:33-35) will also be fulfilled. The prophetic message is that there will be a time when Jesus comes back to judge the world taking the authority away from Satan and eliminate those that oppose Him. Remember, He is a just God.]
Noah, the son of Lamech, lived for 950 years. He had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. We are told that Noah found favor in God’s eyes, and had Noah build a large ship, referred to in the Bible as an ‘ark’ (Hebrew ‘tē·ḅǎt’,[22] a basket, chest, or box). Why did God need a big ship? He planned on destroying all flesh on earth with the exception of Noah’s family and all of the animals with a worldwide flood. God didn’t need a ship, but this model of deliverance, saving mankind from extinction, provides a foretaste of the salvation available now through Jesus. Like Enoch, Noah’s great-grandfather, Noah walked with God and was considered righteous (see Genesis 6:9; 7:1; Hebrews 11:7; 2 Peter 2:5). All believers in Jesus are considered righteous, and will be saved from condemnation and will be delivered to a world without sin. The world Noah lived in was corrupt in many ways, including the presence of the Nephilim,[23] which was unacceptable to God and had to be eliminated (see Genesis 6:4; Numbers 13:33). After the flood, Noah prophesied regarding the future of his sons (see Genesis 9:25-27).
[Message: The idea of a worldwide flood and a person making a big ship to save every animal species has been considered preposterous by a lot of people. Even when the geological evidence is stronger to support the flood scenario (being a major catastrophic event) than most of modern geology that favors ‘uniformitarianism’, which uses the ‘present’ to explain the past, embracing a very old-earth model. The period Noah lived in is mentioned by Jesus during His discussion with His disciples regarding the end times. “For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.” (Matthew 24:37-39, see also Luke 17:26-27) One perspective is that ‘life in general’ was commencing without any notice of impending doom until it was too late. Since Jesus refers to them as being real, Noah and the flood should also the be considered indeed real. Plus, the prophesies given to Noah came true, which we can then believe the world will once again be judged at the end of times. It took Noah over 100 years to build the ark, this should give encouragement for anyone wondering how long they need to continue what they are doing. Keep your eyes on Jesus and keep going, knowing that He has not forgotten you!]
Obadiah, the prophet, wrote the shortest book in the Old Testament (only 21 verses). We are not told much about the person (no birthplace or parent information), however understand that there are several others with the same name listed in the Old Testament. Obadiah prophesied about God’s judgment on Edom because of the violence they did against Israel (see Numbers 20:20), and that they would not mourn or help Judah when Babylon destroyed Jerusalem and Judah. Edom will be destroyed, but Jerusalem will be restored.
[Message: The story of Esau and Jacob began and ends in conflict. Even before they were born the two were struggling inside their mother (see Genesis 25:22). When Rebekah inquired why this was happening, God replied, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger.” (Genesis 25:23b) Esau’s family became the nation of Edom and Jacob’s family became the nations of Israel and Judah. During the time of Obadiah, the nation of Israel (the Northern Kingdom) was already gone. In the book of Obadiah the first sixteen verses outline the complete and final destruction of Edom. The last five verses focus on the future of the Israelites, stating that the exiles of Israel will one day possess land as far north as Zarephath (between Tyre and Sidon in Lebanon) and the exiles of Judah will possess the cities of the Negeb. Bringing the borders close to the land promised to Abraham. During the ‘height’ of the nation of Israel’s kingdom, they only occupied approximately ten percent of what God promised Abraham. Seeing that the prophecy regarding Edom came true exactly as predicted, we know that the promise given to Abraham, and later reiterated and promised to Isaac and Jacob, regarding the full extent of the Promised Land, will one day become a reality.]
Oded the prophet is not the same Oded that was the father of Azariah. After King Pekah’s (Northern Kingdom) successful invasion of Judah (the Southern Kingdom), 200,000 men, women, and children were captured and being led into Samaria when God sent the prophet Oded to intervene (see 2 Chronicles 28:9). He threatened the wrath of God if they did not let the captives go. The captives were then fed, clothed, given sandals, and then freed.
[Message: The evil King Ahaz was king of the Southern Kingdom at the time Pekah’s invasion and due to his disobedience and the nation’s idol worship, God gave them over to them. But per the law, God also did not allow Israelites to own or enslave other Israelites (see Leviticus 25:35-46), and Pekah was bringing these fellow Israelites to be their slaves. God would not allow them to be enslaved, so He sent Oded to warn the people that God’s anger would be fierce if they brought them back is as slaves. The people were then cared for and freed. Even when angered, God would not allow His law to be compromised.]
Samuel, son of Elkanah and Hannah, was raised by priests but was not a priest (his father was from the tribe of Ephraim and was vowed to be a Nazarite before he was born by his mother), he served God around the Tabernacle (see 1 Samuel chapters 1 and 2). God called Samuel as a prophet, “And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of the LORD.” (1 Samuel 3:19-20) Samuel came into prominence near the beginning of the transition between the period of the ‘Judges’ to the time of the ‘Kings’ (see Acts 13:20). He anointed both Saul and David as kings in Israel (see 1 Samuel 9:1-27; 16:1-13), he spoke for God on several occasions (see 1 Samuel 3:15-20; 8:10-22; 15:17-33), and even spoke to Saul from the grave (see 1 Samuel 28:1-20). Note that there were two other people named Samuel in the Old Testament.
[Message: Samuel’s first encounter with God was one of distressing news for the nation of Israel and for the High Priest Eli’s family, both were being judged and punished. Throughout his life Samuel faithfully served God. Perhaps the greatest prophetic message offered was when Samuel faced Saul after the king disobeyed God after a battle with the Amalekites, he told him, “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you from being king.” (1 Samuel 15:22-23) A theme that resonates throughout Scripture, that obedience is more important to God than heartlessly following a God-given protocol such as offering sacrifices (see Psalm 40:6-8; 50:8-9; Proverbs 21:3; Isaiah 1:11-13; Jeremiah 7:22-23; Micah 6:6-8; Matthew 9:12-13; 12: 6-8; Mark 12:33-34; Hebrews 10:6-9) God desires His people to want to serve Him, not feel obligated or to just “go through the motions.”]
Shemaiah the prophet is considered by many scholars to be the same as Shimei, the brother of Zerubbabel (see 1 Chronicles 3:19-22), and possibly Semei in the line of Christ (see Luke 3:26). Since the name, and many similar variants, are found in the Old Testament (possibly up to 27 different people, including one false prophet) it is difficult to precisely trace his ancestry. He was a prophet during the reign of Rehoboam (son of Solomon, the first king of the Southern Kingdom, called Judah). When the king sent 180,000 men of the tribes of Benjamin and Judah to reconquer the Northern Kingdom after its revolt, Shemaiah was commissioned to charge them to return to their homes and not go to war against their own people (see 1 Kings 12:22; 2 Chronicles 11:2). Five years later, during the invasion of Judah and siege of Jerusalem by Shishak, the king of Egypt, Shemaiah was sent to Rehoboam and the princes of Judah to inform them that God was going to abandon them, just like they abandoned Him. They then humbled themselves before God and their lives were spared (see 2 Chronicles 12:5-7).
[Message: Shemaiah was a prophet during a period of great bewilderment and turmoil. Solomon had introduced idolatry to the nation of Israel, and as a result, the kingdom was now split. Since it was believed that God wanted only one nation and that the Temple was in the Southern Kingdom (required for compliance to God’s law) there was a lot of confusion and family relocations, plus, neither kingdom at this time was truly being obedient to God. Shemaiah was sent by God to remind Rehoboam that even though the kingdom was now divided, His law remained applicable. Shemaiah was heard two times by Rehoboam, the first in obedience by not reconquering the northern tribes, and the second encounter resulted in repentance. His prophetic messages may perhaps be best summarized with the understanding that God’s law (or purpose) will not be compromised or changed, even by God-appointed leaders.]
Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel. When he became king God told him that He would give him whatever he asked for, and instead of wealth, he asked for wisdom so that he would be able to provide appropriate leadership as king. God was impressed, “And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and breadth of mind like the sand on the seashore, so that Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all other men, wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol, and his fame was in all the surrounding nations. He also spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005. He spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of the wall. He spoke also of beasts, and of birds, and of reptiles, and of fish. And people of all nations came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from all the kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom.” (1 Kings 4:29-34) Solomon began his reign well as he followed God closely and wrote many of the proverbs found in the book of Proverbs, the book of Ecclesiastes, and is believed to be the author of the romantic book known as the Song of Solomon. He oversaw the building of the first Temple and dedicated it by first blessing the people followed by a powerful prayer. God answered Solomon with the familiar words, “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:13-14) The dedication continued with an enormous number of sacrifices.
But even though being the wisest man that ever lived, he fell away from God. Perhaps he thought that he was smarter than God and forgot the source of his wisdom. No one knows exactly why he turned from God to pursue idols, but we do know that he was influenced by the many women from the surrounding nations he associated with (he had 700 wives and 300 concubines), each bringing their own culture’s pagan beliefs with them.
Many who read the story about Solomon forget that years earlier God gave Moses instructions for future kings of Israel. Even though the first king would still be a number of centuries later, God knew that a king would be requested (see Deuteronomy 17:14). God told Moses a king would be allowed, “Only he must not acquire many horses for himself or cause the people to return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses, since the LORD has said to you, ‘You shall never return that way again.’ And he shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold.” (Deuteronomy 17:16-17) Solomon violated all four of these restrictions (see 1 Kings 4:26; 10:14-29; 11:1-8; 2 Chronicles 1:14; 9:28). The kingdom was divided after his death due to his disobedience.
[Message: The Bible tells us that, “Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David his father, only he sacrificed and made offerings at the high places.” (1 Kings 3:3) This verse helps us see a ‘duality’ in Solomon, part of him loved God, while part of him was confused, either, 1) thinking he was exempt from God’s law, 2) thought he knew better, or 3) was ignorant of the law. At first, his love of God prevailed and was blessed by God. Later his sinful nature began to emerge, “For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and did not wholly follow the LORD, as David his father had done. Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites, on the mountain east of Jerusalem And so he did for all his foreign wives, who made offerings and sacrificed to their gods.” (1 Kings 11:4-8) As a prophet, God spoke to him and many great things were accomplished. The primary message through these accomplishments is that God keeps His promises (building of Temple, peace in the land, etc.) However, perhaps a greater lesson can be learned from Solomon’s life, that it is imperative to remain faithful to God. The message is clear, if the wisest man that ever lived (or will live) got pulled into lustful temptations, knowledge alone is not enough. As humans we need the power of the Holy Spirit to lead us, there is no replacement of His daily provision and guidance. We just need to keep our eyes on Jesus!]
Uriah (sometimes spelled Urijah), the son of Shemaiah (not the prophet Shemaiah, as this man would have lived approximately 200 years earlier), and was from Kiriath-jearim (eight miles west of Jerusalem). As a prophet in Judah, he prophesied against Jerusalem. When King Jehoiakim heard those prophecies he sent his men to kill him. Uriah escaped to Egypt but was later found there and brought back to the king who killed him with a sword (see Jeremiah 26:20-23). There were four other individuals with that name in the Old Testament, including the Hittite who served in David’s army.
[Message: Uriah’s death is one example of prophets being put to death for simply conveying God’s truth. Jehoiakim was an evil king, he even burned Jeremiah’s scroll because he didn’t like what was written on it (that Babylon would have him killed), which God had Jeremiah rewrite (see Jeremiah chapter 36). Uriah’s words, which were in alignment with Jeremiah’s (see Jeremiah 26:20), when heard by Jehoiakim got him killed when he was brought back to Jerusalem. Uriah likely understood the risk of being a prophet, especially when sent to a personality like Jehoiakim. The prophetic message once again has two potential points: 1) that God may send a person to do something that may result in their harm or death; and 2) since Jehoiakim did die in the manner prophesied, that God’s truth always prevails. Some believe that Uriah should not have traveled into Egypt to hide, that instead he should have trusted in God for protection.]
Zechariah the son of Berechiah, is considered the author of the book of Zechariah. There are over thirty men named Zechariah in the Old Testament, plus two more mentioned in the New Testament (one being John the Baptist’s father, the other may be a reference to the Zechariah listed below, see Matthew 23:35; Luke 11:51). Zechariah prophesied during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah. He was contemporary with Haggai who strongly encouraged the rebuilding of the Temple, while Zechariah, on the other hand, warned the Israelites to not follow the evil ways of their ancestors. He encouraged the Israelites to return to God and devote themselves fully to Him.
[Message: The book of Zechariah essentially opens with the recording of ten apocalyptic visions that Zechariah had in one night (see chapters 1-6). He next addresses a question regarding ritual fasting (see chapter 7), followed by the promise of God’s return to Jerusalem bringing peace and prosperity to the people of Israel (see chapter 8). The last six chapters of the book of Zechariah are considered by many to be “the most problematic chapters in the Bible.”[24] Perhaps the best way to summarize chapters 9-11 is to say that they relate to the Messiah’s first coming, and chapters 12-14 speak of Jesus’ second coming. So, is there a cohesive message in such a diverse prophetic ministry? While much of Zechariah’s writing has been fulfilled, a great amount has not. As a whole, his writing offers hope, and perhaps that is the ultimate message. But it is interesting to note that this book offers insight to number of truths relating to the coming Messiah and to some eschatological events, for both the writers and readers of the New Testament. Could we then call Zechariah’s series of prophecies a ’stepping stone’ of information?]
Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the High Priest, was sent by God to prophesy against Joash, king of Judah who started his reign with repairs to the Temple and reforms, but later abandoned God and turned to worship “the Asherim and idols” (see 2 Chronicles 24:18). Zechariah was one of several prophets sent to bring him back to God. The king did not listen and had Zechariah stoned to death (see 2 Chronicles 24:20-22).
[Message: Another example of a prophet being killed conveying a message from God. While dying from being stoned, Zechariah said “May the LORD see and avenge!” (2 Chronicles 24:22b) At the end of that year the Syrians invaded Judah and Joash was assassinated. The story of Joash’s reversal from being a proponent of reform for most of his reign to being a murderer and a hostile enemy of God, is somewhat a mystery other than he possibly fell due to political pressure (see 2 Chronicles 24:17-19). Regardless of why, Zechariah was sent to him to tell him that due to them forsaking God, He will forsake the people of Judah. Since Judah was conquered by a smaller army it is clear that Zechariah’s prophecy came true. The prophetic message is also clear, obedience to God is imperative!]
Zephaniah, son of Cushi, is the author of the book Zephaniah. He prophesied in the days of King Josiah, the king of Judah. He preached reform and brought a much needed spiritual renewal to Judah, especially after the dark period under the reign of Manasseh followed by the reign of Josiah’s father Amon. He pronounced harsh judgment on Judah and Judah’s enemies, but concluded with a message of hope, that God would preserve a remnant and Israel would be restored (see Zephaniah 3:14-20). Since Zephaniah proclaims “the day of the LORD,” a common phrase used to refer to the end times, many connect Zephaniah’s prophecies to be yet future.
[Message: The book of Zephaniah can be divided into three major sections: 1) judgment of Judah and Jerusalem (see Zephaniah 1:1-18); 2) judgment of the enemies of Judah’s enemies (see Zephaniah 2:1-3:8); and 3) the coming of the Messiah and the restoration of Israel (see Zephaniah 3:9-20). Whenever one is warned about a impending issue or problem (be it medical, financial, etc.), hearing that there will be a time of successful recovery is always comforting. Zephaniah is offering that comfort to the people of Israel.]
Unnamed People Who Prophesied
-Seventy elders of Israel prophesied, no message recorded (see Numbers 11:25).
-The LORD sent a prophet to the people of Israel to tell them why they were being oppressed by the Midianites and Amalekites (see Judges 6:8-10).
[Message: At a time when the people “did what is evil in the sight of the LORD” (Judges 6:1a), they were given into the hands of the Midianites for seven years. At which point the people cried out to God. This prophet was sent out to tell them that God brought them out of Egypt and to not fear the gods of the Amorites in the land that you will dwell, “But you have not obeyed my voice.” (Judge 6:10b) The prophetic message reminds them that God brought them out of bondage in the past and that there was nothing to fear. Essentially saying God didn’t bring them into the Promised Land to fail and then fall, they were to be patient, as God was raising a new leader to free Israel from oppression, a person who is introduced in the next verse, a man by the name of Gideon. God is faithful to His promises, even when His people disobey.]
-A man of God came to Eli to tell him that God has rejected him and his family as they had used their positions as priests to take advantage of the people (see 1 Samuel 2:27-36).
[Message: The Bible describes Eli’s sons as being ‘worthless’ (Hebrew ‘beliy·yā’·’ǎl’,[25] good for nothing) and that they didn’t know God. Eli was the High Priest and a man of God but was unable to discipline his sons. The sin of these two sons of Eli was great in the sight of God (see 1 Samuel 2:17). This unnamed prophet told Eli in a somewhat lengthy discourse that his sons will both die on the same day and that He will raise up a faithful priest to replace both him and his sons. Eli and his sons died on the same day (see 1 Samuel 4:17-18). The prophetic message to Eli was that God sees and knows all things, and the ongoing compromising of God-ordained procedures was unacceptable. He also held Eli responsible to the lack of disciplinary action. Perhaps the prophetic message for today’s readers is that for those that are ambassadors for Jesus (that includes all believers, see 2 Corinthians 5:20) that they are never to misrepresent God.]
-A man of God from Judah confronts Jeroboam in Bethel. God authenticated his prophecy by having him say that the altar will fall and all the ashes will fall out. As Jeroboam stretched his hand against the man saying, “Seize him,” his hand dried up and the altar was torn down and the ashes fell out. Jeroboam then asked the prophet to pray for him, which he did and his hand was restored (see 1 Kings 13:1-10). This event is followed by a very peculiar encounter with the next unnamed prophet.
[Message: Jeroboam was the first king of the now divided kingdom which retained the name of Israel (also known as the Northern Kingdom). He was responsible for setting up two golden calves and misrepresented God by telling his people, “You have gone up to Jerusalem long enough. Behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” (1 Kings 12:28b) This prophet prophesied against the altar assembled in Bethel for sacrificing to the golden calve, naming a future king of Judah as the one who will stop the sacrifices (see 2 Kings 23:15-16). When Jeroboam heard this he immediately called out for his arrest. The prophecy was then authenticated with the golden calf’s altar falling down and its ashes falling out. The prophetic message was a warning to the people of the Northern Kingdom that Jeroboam’s golden calves were not from God and that they should not be offering sacrifices. Jeroboam asked for the man of God to pray for him to heal his hand, which he did. He then offered refreshments and a reward, but the man of God refused, saying that he was instructed by God to not eat or drink there. The story continues with the next unnamed prophet.]
-An old prophet from Bethel heard about the man of God from Judah and goes out to greet him on his way home (see the unnamed prophet above). He offered the man to come home with him to share a meal with him. The man of God refused as he was told to not eat or drink there in Bethel (see 1 Kings 13:9). The old prophet then lied to him and said he encountered an angel that said it was now okay. So the man of God went with him back to Bethel and ate and drank there. The old prophet then tells the man of God that since he disobeyed God he would die and his bones would not be buried with his father’s bones. The man of God was attacked by a lion on his way home. The old prophet heard about the attack and went to retrieve the body and buried the man of God in Bethel (see 1 Kings 13:11-32). The historian Josephus records the identity of this prophet as Jadon[26] who some believe Jadon (or Jedo) is Iddo the prophet (see above).
[Message: This is certainly one of the strangest stories in the Bible. It proves that even prophets can be misled. Many believe the “old prophet from Bethel” was a false prophet, but he did accurately predict what would happen to the man of God from Judah. There is no indication that the man from Bethel was sent by God, but did receive the “word of the LORD” (see 1 Kings 13:20) while they were at the table sharing a meal. Again we are faced with a scenario of a prophet not telling the truth. There is no explanation given as to why the prophet from Bethel was so motivated to deceive. There is a lesson to be learned from this story and that is not to take the word of someone that contradicts the word of God.]
-A prophet came to Ahab and told him that he would know he came from God from the prediction that he would be victorious if he attacked Ben-hadad the king of Syria. The king did attack and was victorious in that battle. The prophet then told the king to strengthen his army as Ben-hadad will strike them back in the following spring (see 1 Kings 20:13-14, 22).
[Message: God authenticated the prophet as being from God by having him encourage Ahab to strike the king of Syria in a battle even though they were outnumbered. They engaged Ben-hadad and were able to “strike the Syrians with a great blow.” (1 Kings 20:21b) However, Ben-hadad managed to escape. With that victory the second part of the prophet’s message from God was for Ahab to build up his army as the Syrians will attack them in the spring, which he did. The story continues with the next unnamed prophet.]
-A man of God came to Ahab to tell him that the LORD is going to give Israel victory over Ben-hadad. “Because the Syrians have said, “The LORD is a god of the hills but he is not a god of the valleys” (1 Kings 20:28b). They were indeed victorious (see 1 Kings 20:28-30).
[Message: This “man of God” is often thought to be the same unnamed prophet listed above. Like many polytheistic cultures that have assigned different deities to a variety of objects in nature or locations, the Syrians believed that the Israelite’s God was only a “God of the hills,” and not of the plains or valleys. So, they believed that if they fought somewhere other than in the hill country, they would be victorious (see 1 Kings 20:23). This prophet tells Ahab that because the Syrians stated that they would be able to win the battle because they believed God could not help them outside of the hills, that God would give them victory. But when Ben-hadad was captured, he pleaded for mercy and was released. Again, the story continues with the next unnamed prophet.]
-A “certain man of the sons of the prophets” used an unusual dramatic tactic to convey the message to Ahab that since he let Ben-hadad (who was to be killed) go free, Ahab’s life will be taken. This prophet was authenticated with a prophecy that since a man refused to hit him, claiming that the person disobeyed God, that a lion would attack him, which occurred shortly afterwards. After being struck by another person, the prophet disguised himself and waited for Ahab to come by to play the role of an injured soldier who was tasked to hold a prisoner who got away, and now his life is to be forfeited. Then the king recognized him as a prophet who then prophesied that since he let Ben-hadad go that Ahab himself will die (see 1 Kings 20:35-42).
[Message: This “certain man of the sons of prophets,” may be the same unnamed prophet in the last two stories above, as we see that he “disguised himself.” This prophet is authenticated in an unusual way, by having someone killed for refusing to hit him. The prophet acted out being an injured soldier who was ordered to hold on to a prisoner who managed to escape. When the king came by, the prophet then told him that since the prisoner escaped he would need to pay with his own life or pay a talent of silver (roughly 75 pounds). The king responded that he will judge the man according to what he just said. The prophet then revealed himself and the king recognized him as a prophet, who then told the king that since he released Ben-hadad, that “your life shall be for his life, and your people for his people.” (1 Kings 20:42b) There are multiple levels to consider in this prophet’s story, but when we combine all of the unnamed prophet’s stories in 1 Kings chapter 20, it appears that the underlying theme is to demonstrate to a pagan-influenced king, that God is the One and only God. Something Ahab seemed to consistently deny.]
-A man of God was sent to Amaziah, king of Judah, who, in order to form a large enough army to fight the Edomites, just hired 100,000 men from Israel. The man told the king to not take the hired men from Israel into battle, that he should instead trust God for victory, which he did and was victorious (see 2 Chronicles 25:5-13).
[Message: Amaziah is introduced in 2 Chronicles 25:2 as doing, “what was right in the eyes of the LORD, yet not with a whole heart.” That last part gives us readers a hint that he may have externally followed the ways of God, but perhaps had some doubts, which may be a factor leading to the next unnamed prophet. This man of God informed the king that instead of thinking about the ‘physical’ dynamics of battle, that he should be thinking spiritually and depend completely on God. When he did, he was successful in each of his campaigns against the people of Seir (a mountain range in Edom). However, the 100,000 mercenaries from Israel that were not allowed to join Amaziah’s army, instead of returning to Israel, raided several cities in Judah, killing 3,000 people and liberated much spoil. These actions may have led Amaziah to begin doubting God and embrace idolatry (see next unnamed prophet).]
-A prophet was sent to Amaziah after he successfully fought the Edomites, but then brought their idols back and set them up as his gods and worshiped them. The prophet told the king that God was angry with him, but while he was still speaking the king interrupted and told him to stop. The prophet then noted that the king will be destroyed (see 2 Chronicles 25:14–16). Amaziah’s arrogance caught up with him when he, fresh from victory over the Edomites, challenged Joash, the king of Israel. Joash tried to diplomatically defuse the situation and reason with Amaziah, but due to his over-confidence he wouldn’t listen and decided to go into battle. Amaziah was easily captured by Joash’s army.
[Message: Perhaps this is the same unnamed prophet from the previous story. He approached Amaziah to question him as to why he brought home the idols of the gods of the men of Seir. Instead of listening, Amaziah told the prophet to stop his admonishment, the text tells us that he at least was able to convey the message that God will destroy him for not heeding his advice. The prophetic message, like the messages of several of the above prophecies, was essentially to stop thinking like a human (such as arrogantly relying of quantifiable facts) and listen to and trust God.]
People Who Prophesied With No Message Recorded
-Eldad (see Numbers 11:26-27)
-Medad (see Numbers 11:26-27)
-Saul, the first king of Israel (see 1 Samuel 10:9-13)
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[1] Strong’s Hebrew 2374.
[2] Charles, R. H., & Oesterley, W. O. E. (1917). The Book of Enoch (Enoch 1:9). Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge.
[3] Neusner, J. (2011). The Babylonian Talmud: A Translation and Commentary (Vol. 7b, p. 74). Hendrickson Publishers.
[4] See “End Times” under “Primary Subjects of Prophecy” below for definition.
[5] Strong’s Hebrew 2388.
[6] Strong’s Hebrew 3157.
[7] McGee, J. V. (1991). Thru the Bible commentary: The Prophets (Hosea/Joel) (electronic ed., Vol. 27, p. xvi). Thomas Nelson.
[8] Strong’s Hebrew 3819.
[9] Strong’s Hebrew 3818.
[10] See “End Times” under “Primary Subjects of Prophecy” for more information regarding Jesus’ Millennial reign.
[11] Neusner, J. (2011). The Babylonian Talmud: A Translation and Commentary (Vol. 15, pp. 57–58). Hendrickson Publishers.
[12] See Appendix regarding the Septuagint.
[13] See commentary on the last nine chapters of Ezekiel under “An Examination of the End Times.”
[14] Strong’s Hebrew 776.
[15] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Joe). (2016). Crossway Bibles.
[16] Strong’s Hebrew 3091.
[17] Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). In Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition., Vol. 1, p. 823). United Bible Societies.
[18] Strong’s Hebrew 5162.
[19] See Eschatological Terms in “An Examination of the End Times.”
[20] See commentary of Daniel chapter eleven in “An Examination of the End Times.”
[21] See commentary for Daniel chapter two in “An Examination of the End Times.”
[22] Strong’s Hebrew 8392.
[23] See Appendix for more information regarding the Nephilim.
[24] Klein, G. L. (2008). Zechariah (Vol. 21B, p. 253). B & H Publishing Group.
[25] Strong’s Hebrew 1100.
[26] Josephus, F., & Whiston, W. (1987). The works of Josephus: complete and unabridged (p. 230). Hendrickson.