Majoring on the Major Prophets

Majoring on the Major Prophets

Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel

Prophets in the Bible

-Prophet = God’s spokesman who warned about/promised future events, urged God’s people to turn from sin, gave them hope, and taught about God’s character.

-The period of the prophets covered seven hundred years from about 1050 B.C. (Samuel) to 350 B.C. (Malachi).

-Christians should study the prophets for 6 reasons:

• Jesus quoted them, used their terminology, and alluded to them.

• God revealed Himself to them. Prophets revealed God to man.

• The prophets were fascinating, heroic, inspired, and strong men of God.

• They were concerned about society’s problems (which are still contemporary problems) and proposed answers.

• Their writings form a basis for the new covenant, the church, and the books of the New Testament (Luke 24:27).

• One cannot fully understand Christianity without understanding them.

He’s Coming! (Isaiah)

-Isaiah prophesied to the nation of Judah during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah.

-During his life Isaiah saw the northern kingdom carried away into slavery. He warned Judah that it would also be enslaved because the people did not keep away from idols (2:8–9).

-Isaiah promised the return of a remnant of God’s people (10:20–22). He also proclaimed God’s promises about the coming of a great King and His kingdom (9:6–7). This would be the Messiah.

Weeping Prophet (Jeremiah & Lamentations)

-Jeremiah prophesied to the southern kingdom of Judah (1:2). He saw five kings on that kingdom’s throne: Josiah, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah.

-Jeremiah was the son of a priest in Anathoth (1:1). He had a scribe named Baruch who wrote God’s words through Jeremiah’s dictation (36:4).

-Jeremiah lived in an unhappy time. He watched Josiah’s revival fade. He saw Jerusalem invaded by foreign armies four times. The final invasion completed the destruction of the temple and the city wall. Judah’s last four kings hated him, as did the priests, the false prophets, and the leaders of Jerusalem. They beat him, put him in stocks (20:1–3), tried to kill him (26:7–9), threw him into a dungeon (37:11–16) and a muddy cistern (38:6).

-Once, Jeremiah dictated a prophecy that Baruch wrote on a scroll. Baruch read it to the people. When King Jehoiakim heard about the scroll, he cut it up and burned it. God told Jeremiah to write the scroll again, so he did (36:1–32).

-He sometimes felt depressed because everyone rejected him. (20:7–8)

-Jeremiah cried not only about his own problems but also about the terrible things the Jews brought on themselves by their disobedience. Therefore, Jeremiah is often called the “weeping prophet.” (9:1)

-After the destruction of Jerusalem, Jeremiah wrote Lamentations, a poem lamenting the city’s death. In that book he compared Jerusalem to a widow who had lost everything. She was once a princess (queen) among the provinces but had now become a slave (1:1).

-The book is not all sadness. Jeremiah praises God’s compassion in 3:22–33.

-Jeremiah advises Jerusalem’s citizens to examine their lives, repent, and ask God for forgiveness (3:40–42).

God’s Actor (Ezekiel)

-Ezekiel preached in Tel-abib, a city near the Chebar River in the land of the Chaldeans, which is more commonly known as Babylon (1:3; 3:15).

-God gave Ezekiel 3 main responsibilities as a “watchman” (3:17-21; 33:1-9):

1. Warn the wicked – we can too!
2. Warn the righteous to avoid sin – encourage to do right!
3. Warn of danger (judgment & punishment for sin) – tell of Jesus!

Daring Daniel (Daniel)

1. Daniel came to Babylon because (1:1–6):

a. He wanted a vacation.                b. He was running away.

c. Nebuchadnezzar brought him.    d. God told him to preach there.

2. Daniel was chosen to be educated in the palace because (1:3–6):

a. He interpreted the king’s dream. b. He came from a royal family.

c. He was smart and handsome.    d. He qualified to serve in the king’s palace.

3. Daniel’s friends’ names were changed to (1:6–7):

a. Larry, Moe, and Curly.                     b. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

c. Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.    d. Jehoiakim, Jadez, and Belteshazzar.

4. Daniel and his friends (1:8–20):

a. Grew stronger, wiser, and healthier than the other trainees.

b. Were placed in the king’s service.

c. Were sent to Jerusalem.     d. Liked green eggs and ham.

5. The king ordered all of the wise men put to death because (2:1–13):

a. None of them could describe and interpret his dream.

b. Some of them would not bow down to him.

c. They predicted he would lose a battle and be killed.

d. They brought home bad report cards.

6. Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar (2:26–28):

a. No one could interpret the dream.       b. He could interpret the dream.

c. Only God could interpret the dream.    d. God gave him the dream.

7. Nebuchadnezzar dreamed about (2:31–35):

a. A large, dazzling statue.                               b. Being chased by killer cows.

c. Seven lean cows eating seven fat cows.    d. Being dethroned.

8. Nebuchadnezzar made a gold image and declared (3:1–6):

a. “Throw away all of your other gods and worship only this image.”

b. “When you hear the music, worship this image.”

c. “Whoever touches the statue will have his fingernails peeled off.”

d. “Whoever does not bow down to this image will be thrown into a blazing furnace.”

9. When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to worship the image, Nebuchadnezzar (3:8–29):

a. Got mad.

b. Gave them a second chance.

c. Threw them into a blazing furnace.

d. Made them eat raw chicken livers.

*Study from Route 66: Travel Through the Bible by Mark Reed, Positive Action for Christ, Inc.