PROPHETS OF OLD TESTAMENT TIMES
First: There were many other "Prophets" than the writing prophets.
Second: There were "writing Prophets" that are not thought of as "a Prophet".
The definition of a "Prophet" of the OT is S#: 5030 "nabiy" (naw-bee'); from OT: 5012; a prophet or (generally) inspired man:
Their work;OT:5012 "naba" (naw-baw'); a primitive root; to prophesy, i.e. speak (or sing) by inspiration (in prediction or simple discourse):
The NT definition is S# 4396 "prophetes" (prof-ay'-tace); from a compound of NT:4253 and NT:5346; a foreteller ("prophet"); by analogy, an inspired speaker; by extension, a poet:
There are 5 Books of "Major Prophets" in the OT; if Lamentations is considered as prophecy. [Lamentations is really a book of "eye witness accounts" of the ruins of Jerusalem after the prophecy of Jeremiah had been fulfilled.
All of the "Major Prophets" were to the Tribe of Judah.
# 1 Isaiah: A son of Amoz and a member of the "Royal Family".
He prophesied during the reign of four kings of Judah; Uzzah,[52 yrs,809-757BC Jotham,[16 yrs. 757-751 BC] Ahaz [16 yrs.751-735 BC]. and Hezekiah.[29 yrs. 735-706 BC]
# 2Jeremiah: The son of Hilkiah, a priest, and native of the village of Anathoth just north of Jerusalem. Jeremiah was destined also to serve as a priest, but God had a greater calling for him. He was called to begin his ministry in the year of 627 BC, in the thirteenth year of Josiah's reign as king. He was contemporary with the prophet Zephaniah.
King Josiah had found the "Book of the Law" in the Temple and had instituted major reforms in the nation. But God revealed to Jeremiah that Judah would fall into apostasy.
Jeremiah made his home in Jerusalem to be close to both the religious and political activity of the Capital City. And for 40 years would be the LORD'S messenger to a sinful and stubborn people.
The "princes" [rulers of state] had Jeremiah cast into a special prison and later into a "dungeon" and fed "bread and water until he was released by the Chaldeans.
# 3 Ezekiel: Ezekiel was a son of Buzi, [nothing is known about this man] and like Jeremiah was of the "priestly order". He was born and reared during the reign of King Josiah. He was one of the many captives taken to Babylon in 597 BC, as part of the second stage of the captivity.[@ 25 years old] He was married to "the desire of his eyes", [chapter # 24; some time after arriving in Babylon] and was told by God that his wife would be "taken from him" and he would not mourn or shed tears. This to symbolize "God's loss of Judah".
The time of his calling into the ministry of prophecy was July 31, 593 BC and his activity continued for @ 22 years. He received his last dated "oracle" was dated in April 571 BC.
Chapters 1- 23 were accounts of his prophecy before the fall of Jerusalem. Chapters 24-35 cover @ 16 years with the "fall of the Holy City and later years in Babylon.
Chapters 36-37 contain the "Vision of dry bones".
Chapters 38-39 the Judgement against Gog.
Chapters 40-48 contain the "vision of the Temple". There is debate as to whether it was about Solomon's, Herod's Temple or a future Messianic Temple.
# 4 Daniel: While in the English Bible, this book is placed as the last of the "Major Prophets"; In the Hebrew Bible is listed among "The Writings" and follows the book of Esther.
Chapters # 2: 4-7: 28 were written in Aramaic and the rest in Hebrew.
Daniel was of royal descent and was a group of young princes carried to Babylon in 606 BC, during the reign of Jeoiakim. Daniel was @ 18 years of age and lived through the captivity and although he was faithful to his God "Jehovah" he was elevated to high office in the Kingdom of Babylon because of his "God given wisdom".
Among those who were carried captive with Daniel were Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, who we know as "the three Hebrew children". All were given Babylonian names of Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego.
Chapters # 1-6 are a historical narrative.
Chapters # 7-8 are visions of "World Empires".
Chapter # 9 is the much-debated vision of "seventy weeks".
Chapters # 10-11 visions of # 1 "The man clothed in linen", # 2 conflicts of world empires, the kings of the north and south against each other.
Chapter # 12 vision of "great tribulation, the resurrection of the dead and the time of the end.
Hosea: The first of the "Minor Prophets"; Nothing is known of him outside the book that bears his name. His father was Beeri and this is the only time this name is found. Although he was of the tribe of Israel he had good knowledge of the Southern Tribe of Judah. He makes a list of four kings of Judah that reigned during time of prophecy. He also names Joash king of Israel who came to the throne of Israel in the 38th year of Huzzah and was contemporary with him for 14 years. It is possible that he witnessed the fall of Israel in 722 BC which he prophesied in greater detail than that of Amos. We can surmise that his ministry lasted for over 40 years.
We learn that when he was called by Jehovah, that he was commanded to "take a wife" who was a prostitute and to raise children by her. The reason being that Israel that "the land had committed great whoredoms". God had declared "Israel to be his wife", I sa. 54: 5, Jer. 3: 8, 14, 31: 32. And wanted the prophet to "know the hurt" of having an unfaithful wife.
Verse # 4 Gomer, his unfaithful wife bare him a son and he was told of the LORD to name him "Jezreel", [God sows] "For yet in a little while I will avenge the blood of Jezreel on the house of Jehu.
Jehu was king of Israel for 28 years beginning in 884 BC ending in 859, This prophecy was fulfilled in 722 BC over 130 years later; see 2nd. Kings 15: 10- 29.
Verse # 6; she conceived again and gave birth to a daughter they named "Loruhamah" [no mercy] for I will have no mercy on the house of Israel; but I will take them away. The story of the anger of God and his actions against Israel is described in 2nd. Kings 17: 6-24.
Verse # 8 after she had weaned the daughter she conceived again and bare another so who was named "Loanni" [not my people] for "ye are not my people" and I will not be your God.
Verses # 10-11 contain a prophecy that would be fulfilled by Jesus in establishing the Church in the last days. Read closely John 1: 11-14, Acts 15: 1-22, Romans 9 15-33, 1st. Peter 2: 5-15, 1st. John 3: 1-3.
Chapter # 2 Jehovah instructs Hose to "plead with your brethren, Am-MI and your sisters, Ruhamah; [notice God uses plural words for the Israelites instead of the singular at the birth of his children, as they are representative of the Nations of Israel and Judah.
Chapter # 2 begins with instructions for the prophet to direct his pleadings to his children and their mother; Unless she "puts away" her whoredoms that she will be "stripped naked" place her as she had been in the wilderness without protection from the heat and to slay her with thirst. And no mercy will be shown upon her children because of her sin.
God reminds Israel of his earlier help in the wilderness, when he provided corn, wine and oil and multiplied her silver and gold. Then in rebellion she gave her wealth to Ba-al. Now I will return and recover all that I have given you and you again will be lewd in front of your lovers.
In verse # 14 he promises to allure her again and will have mercy on those who have not experienced mercy and will say them which were not my people: You are my people and I am your God.
Chapter # 3 is a look into the future when his "wife will treated kindly by a friend", [Jesus] who would be bought for 15 pieces of silver and for one and one half homers of barley. [The total value of the items equaled the 30 pieces of silver that Judas received for betraying Jesus. And afterward Israel shall live "many days without a king" and then would return and seek the LORD and David her king and his goodness in the latter days. Hoshea assumed the throne in 730 BC after slaying Pekah to become the nineteenth and last king of Israel. Hoshea was actually a "puppet king of Assyria and was taken captive to Babylon in 722 BC where his life ended in prison.
Chapters # 4-6 deal with the "great controversy" that God had with the nation of Israel.
# 1 there is "no truth,#2 no mercy and # 3 no knowledge in the land. "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge". When any people neglect the "word of God" destruction lies in wait. They had forgotten the "law of God"; now that God will forget them.
They continue to offer sacrifices and burn incense on high places to false gods, therefore your daughters will commit adultery and your wives will commit adultery. Both Israel and Ephraim [Judah] will be desolate. I have seen a horrible thing in both Israel and Ephraim they are all defiled.
Chapter # 7-10 When I would have healed them, they considered not their hearts. Woe to them for they have fled from me. They fail to return to the Most High. The LORD promises judgement and exile as the consequences of apostasy.
Chapters # 11-13 contain offers of tenderness from God.
Chapter # 14 closes with a plead for Israel to repent and return to the LORD.
There are several NT references ti the book of Hosea.
Hosea 1: 1- Rom. 9: 26, 1st. Pet.2: 10/
2: 23 Rom. 9: 25.
6: 2 1st. Cor.15: 4.
6: 6 Matt. 9: 13
10: 8 Lk. 23: 30; Rev. 6: 16.
11: 1 Matt. 2: 15.
13: 14 1st. Cor. 15: 55.
14: 2 Heb. 13: 15.
Joel: The son of Pethuel; and that is all we know of the personal life of this prophet. It is believed that the time of his writing was @ 770 BC. The prophecy of Amos opens in ch. 1: 2 with a statement from Joel ch. 3: 10 and at the close of his book uses a statement from Joel 3: 18.
Joel was a prophet of Judah and was the first of the great prophets to speak the message of Jehovah to the southern kingdom. He came on the scene when natural calamities had fallen upon Western Asia. [The plague of locust] He turns this disaster into a spiritual message to the leaders of Judah. He commanded the elders to "hear the message" and to tell their children and for that generation to pass it on to the following generations. He tells them to weep because of the famine. And for virgins to gird themselves in sackcloth and lament for their youth. The priests and ministers mourn because they have nothing to offer as a sacrifice on the altars.
Chapter # 1: 14-15; Sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the people into the House of the LORD. Alas for the day! For the day of Lord is at hand. And as a "destruction from the Almighty shall it come".
Chapter # 2 continues with the same theme; "Blow the trumpet in Zion, [City of David, Hill of Jerusalem, Mount Moriah, Temple Mount, later the entire City of Jerusalem] Sound an alarm in my holy mountain: The day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand. [For a description of the "Day of the Lord", see: Amos 5: 18-20, Isa. 13: 6-11 and Jer. 46: 10-12]
Verse # 16 of chapter # 2 is almost an exact repeat of chapter # 1: 14. With verse # 17 calling for the priests and ministers to weep between the "porch of the Temple and the altar for God to spare the people from the heathen, [Gentile Nations] that they would not rule over the people of God.
Then the prophet "changes the tone" of his message by saying; "the Lord will do great things".
There would be a time of restoration and afterward; [The time of restoration would begin with he preaching of John the Baptist; see Matt. 3: 1-12] that I will pour out "my spirit upon all flesh" [this would include the Gentiles and dispersed Jews alike.] This great experience was received at the feast of Pentecost; see Acts chapter # 2.
Chapter #3 "I will bring again [back] the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem. I will also gather all nations; and bring them all together in one place and I will "plead" with them there for my people.[The word "plead" S# 8199 "shaphat" to act as law giver, to judge and give sentence. because they have scattered my people. Question; Why is Judah and Jerusalem being placed in judgement with the nations that have been their enemies? Go back to ch. 2: 15-17 for the answer; The elders, priests and ministers are guilty of failing to teach the people the "way of the Lord". Now all will be judged together.
Verses # 6-9 I will sell your sons and daughters to the "Sabeans", proclaim this to the Gentiles,[Grecians of verse # 6 ] prepare to make war. This was fulfilled @ 330 BC when Alexander the great ruled most of the known world.
The prophet continues with a "end of the world prophecy". He ends his work by telling of a "day of decision in the valley of Jehoshaphat". See 2nd. Chr. 20: 6, Ezek. 39: 11 and Zech. 14: 4-8.
Verse # 16-: The Lord shall roar out of Zion and utter his voice from Jerusalem and a "fountain" will come forth from the house of the Lord. Zech 14:8 "And it shall be in that day; That living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be".
Joel ends with the promise that "I will cleanse their blood; that I have not cleansed: For the Lord dwelleth in Zion. "Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world". John 1: 29.
Obadiah: [S# 5662 servant of Jehovah] We know nothing about the personal life of this prophet or where he was at the time of the writing of this letter; The shortest book of the Bible.
He writes concerning Edom; The Edominites were descendants of Esau, the brother of Jacob, who sold his birthright to his brother. The Edomites had a history of being bitter enemies of Israel.
The book can be divided into two parts: # 1 verses # 1-9; The certainty of Edom's destruction. Part one warns that "I have made thee small among the heathen; and you are greatly despised. The pride of your heart has deceived you. Even your wisdom will not save you.
Part two gives the reason this judgement is pronounced and its nature: Their cruelty to Judah. the coning "day of the Lord" and God's vengeance on the nations, And that Edom will be consumed by Israel.
The country is also known as Idumea: It lies along the sides of Mt. Seir with Mt. Hor, where Aaron died and was buried. Esau settled here after his brother Jacob fled from him to Padam-aram. His descendants held the land and became a strong people and were called Edomites at the time of the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC. For centuries Edom attracted little attention, but the prophecy of Obadiah was from God, and God remembers. This land which had once been very fertile would become desolate and a barren rocky area.
The Prophet Isaiah prophesied about the nations that were enemies of God's people in chapter # 34: 10 said, "no one would pass through them". Travelers today that see this land are amazed at the end of a people that fought against God. Its chief city is "Petra" and excavations reveal the "ruins of what was a glorious city centuries ago. The ruins have uncovered what had were Temples of false Gods, and other structures hewn out of stone that were tombs and monuments to famous people of ages gone by. Alas the utter destruction at the hand of a Mighty God.