Prophets and the Word of God

Where In the Bible: Isaiah to Malachi

In the previous section of the story, God’s people became an established nation in the land, and then a succession of different kings led them away from God and into patterns of idolatry, immorality and injustice. This is a top-down way of looking at what was happening, but it is not the only perspective we can see the events through. God had not given up on his promises to his people, and he raised up prophetic voices who would speak truth to power. Initially this took the form of individuals like Nathan and Elijah who would confront kings directly about their sin. Over time this grew to incorporate the written prophets as well, whose messages we find in our Bibles: Isaiah, Jeremiah/Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel and the twelve minor prophets (‘minor’ in reference to their length, not their importance). In these books we find the prophets calling Israel to turn back to God, warning them of the consequences if they fail to do so, whilst at the same time holding out hope of a future where God restores his people.

The Call to Repentance (e.g. Jer. 7:1-7): When we open the prophets, we can find large sections of these books laying out the sins of Judah, Israel and the surrounding nations in great detail. This can sometimes feel difficult to read, and it is important to remember that these words are a positive thing. They were spoken into a context of corrupt power, where the vulnerable were exploited, authority was abused and God was sidelined in favour of idolatrous practice. Against this backdrop, the prophets served as a voice for the voiceless, bringing God’s indignation at the corruption to bear on those who were used to getting their own way and not hearing anyone challenge it. The words spoken were not from the prophets themselves but were given to them by God as his verdict on the practices of the people. An example of the kind of message given by the prophets is Jeremiah 7:1-7, where the prophet calls for true heart change, including showing justice to one another, welcoming foreigners, serving the needy and turning away from violence and idolatry. It is not surprising that with this kind of message on their lips, the prophets were not always well received, and often faced opposition and persecution from those they were sent to speak to (e.g. Jer. 20:1-2).

Judgment and Exile (e.g. Jer. 25:8-11): God’s purpose for his people had always been for him to dwell with them, and for them to be in harmonious relationships with one another and with God. This was not happening in Israel. People were exploiting each other and rejecting God. As the prophets called people to turn back to God, they were clear that there would be consequences if the people did not do so. Living in the land was never the point; living as God’s people was. The further away from God the people turned, the sterner the warnings of judgment became, and the primary form that judgement would take was removal from the land. Despite many prophets issuing the same warnings, God’s word was not heeded, and just as Adam and Eve were evicted from Eden because of their sin, so the people were exiled from the promised land. This happened initially to the Northern kingdom of Israel (who had been ruled by only bad kings) in 722BC at the hands of the Assyrians. Even this was not enough to change the ways of the Southern Kingdom of Judah (who had experienced the occasional good king scattered among the bad ones), and they too were taken into exile by the Babylonians in 605-586BC.

Promise and Restoration (e.g. Isa. 61:1-4, Eze. 36:24-28): Despite the stern warnings of judgement, the prophets did not leave Israel without hope. Even from their exile, if the people turned back to God they would be restored to the land (e.g. Eze. 36:24). This is exactly what happened, and after seventy years in exile (described in Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel and Esther, among other places), the people turned back to God and could return to the land. We see the story of rebuilding in Haggai, Ezra and Nehemiah. As the Old Testament ends, the people are once more in the land but the glory of God is no longer in the temple, and the need for restoration remains. This is not the full extent of the hope that the prophets hold out to the people, and they paint a picture of something much bigger than return from exile, but more like return to the perfect Eden-like state that God had originally designed (e.g. Isa. 65:17-25). These promises focussed on an individual who God would send, who is referred to as the anointed one (messiah), the servant of the Lord, and the Son of Man. His mission is outlined in Isaiah 6:1-4, and we see in Isaiah 53 that he will suffer as a substitute for his people. Ezekiel adds (Eze. 36:24-28) that the result of this will be fogiveness of sins and renewed hearts for the people, by which they will live with God in heartfelt and genuine obedience. As the Old Testament draws to a close, it is this individual that we are looking for and hoping in.

Potential Applications:

• This section shows God’s opposition to injustice, immorality and idolatry. It challenges us to look at where we see these things in our own lives, and to turn away from them to follow God truly.
• The prophets also model for us speaking truth to power. God’s people are to stand up against injustice wherever we see it, and this section of Scripture invites us to think about how we can be a prophetic voice in our own day.
• The promise of hope we find in the prophets is one that we need to hear. However desperate our situation may seem, there is still hope for us, and this hope is found in Jesus.