Tag Archives | prophetic

Overview of Jeremiah

By on in Theology

Jeremiah was both a priest and a prophet who lived during the final decades of Judah’s Southern kingdom. He is more clearly know in Scripture as a prophet who warned Jerusalem of judgment due to their rebellion, corruption, and the rejection of their covenant with God. As a matter of certainty, Jerusalem will be given over to Babylon and remain there in captivity for 70-years. As the reader of Jeremiah’s book will find stories, sermons, poems, and essays of Jeremiah’s life work, a full corpus of role and meaning becomes clear. The total of his work is assembled as an anthology and not a sequential narrative to tell a linear story concerning the prophetic warnings and events that would occur in Jerusalem. Jeremiah was a messenger of God’s justice and grace.

Throughout Jeremiah’s book, the prophet is called to pronounce judgment upon Jerusalem and even the surrounding nations. He was God’s appointed prophet to Israel and the nations to pluck up and break down and plant and build up (1:10). Israel’s indictment rests within three offenses. First, they have broken their covenant with God. Second, they were worshipping false gods. A problem that was written about as idolatry, which is spiritual adultery. Third, their leaders were guilty of widespread social injustice stemming from their abandonment of the covenant, or God’s Word. With God’s condemnation through Jeremiah, Israel was subject to judgment from Babylon. While on the one hand, Israel was offering sacrifices according to Jewish ceremonies and religious traditions inside Jerusalem. They were also making child sacrifices to Moloch just outside Jerusalem in the valley of Hinnom (valley of slaughter).

The remainder of the book of Jeremiah concerns the wrath of God upon Israel. They were to drink the cup of His anger by becoming enslaved or put to violence while subjected to famine, disease, and disaster. The anthology of Jeremiah then proceeds to describe how Jerusalem is led off to Babylon. Amid Jerusalem’s destruction and while Yahweh’s people were placed in Babylon, hope was pronounced where He referred to a new covenant that would become healed through a messiah. The remainder of Jeremiah’s book concerns the judgment and destruction of surrounding nations to include Babylon itself eventually. The book ends with a glimmer of hope for Israel to indicate God’s everlasting faithfulness.

Overview of Isaiah

By on in Theology

The opening chapters of Isaiah (1 -12) concern messages of judgment and hope. Centered squarely upon Jerusalem, and more broadly, the Northern and Southern kingdoms. As Jerusalem remained in a state of disobedience, rebellion, and idolatry, Yahweh’s anger and decrees made sure the eventual demise of His people and surrounding nations. Babylon, a hostile and foreign country, would attack Jerusalem and be eventually burned to purify it of corruption. Even though His people have gone too far, their hearts were hardened, and they were committed to destruction. After the devastation of Israel from Assyria, Yahweh’s people would not end without hope as there would emerge a holy seed. A seed that produces a tiny shoot from a stump of a tree that was symbolic of Israel would bring a messianic king to rule over a new Jerusalem in peace, justice, and righteousness

As the course of history and the decree of impending judgment unfolds, a comparison between two cities is made in chapters 13-27. On the one hand, the nations in the Ancient Near East were cast as a city high and lofty yet only destined for ruin because of its total rebellion against their Creator. While on the other hand, there is a promise of a new Jerusalem, another city, where God reigns over all nations, and there is no more suffering, injustice, or death.

The prophet Isaiah further condemns Jerusalem’s interests in saving itself through an alliance its leaders formed with Egypt. Isaiah makes it clear that the only way to be saved from judgment is repentance and trust in Yahweh. Not by relying upon neighboring nations for protection. To demonstrate this as an effective route of safety, King Hezekiah had humbled himself and prayed for Yahweh’s deliverance from Assyria, another enemy but from the North. Yahweh rescued Jerusalem through Hezekiah’s appeal. Yet even after Yahweh comes through a dramatic way to save Jerusalem from the Assyrians, Hezekiah, this time, allies Babylon. While the prophet Isaiah informs Hezekiah that Babylon will eventually betray and destroy them. Hezekiah had sought to impress and earn Babylon’s favor for security and status, while that should have been solely through Yahweh alone.

The final section of Isaiah involves messages of hope. As the inhabitants of Jerusalem in Babylonian captivity were to be released, they were to take up residence in Judah again. The prophet Isaiah wrote future instructions concerning the renewal of God’s people. And they were to abide by the covenant they accepted long ago. God delivered His people from Babylon through raising an army in Persia to defeat their foes. So, the people of Jerusalem were expected to return and rebuild their relationship with Yahweh and each other. Isaiah’s message to those rescued from Babylon was prophesied and recorded onto a scroll for their hope and instruction. The future hope we read about in chapters 40-66 has come, and God’s people get about the business of daily life in Jerusalem.

Chapters 40-48 open up with an announcement of hope through service to the nations. However, God’s people become contentious with Him and claim that He ignored them. When in reality, He was at work among them to purify them of corruption and to rescue them from permanent and final harm. It was their God all along who judged them and, after a while, rose Persia to conquer Babylon their captors and set them free. This judgment was to get them all to recognize that Yahweh is their God, and they are His people. Not the idols of their idolatry. Their obligation was to return to Him and repent while trusting His word going forward into the future.

As Israel’s people were restored to Jerusalem, they were contentious, and they lost faith in their God Yahweh. So, God would form a new kingdom with a new messianic servant who would restore Israel and become a light to the nations. The servants to follow this messianic figure (Christ) are recognized as “the seed” (Is 6:13), who are humble and repent. They are not among the wicked who reject God’s servant and His way of restoration. The wicked will face God’s justice and will be removed from the “new Jerusalem” forever. While the servants will humble themselves, repent, and own their evil to obtain forgiveness to inherit the new kingdom. In comparison, the “new Jerusalem” or the new kingdom is figurative imagery for a new creation where death and suffering are gone forever. It is where all nations of God’s new covenant family are brought together in perfect fellowship with each other and with their God as intended.

Artifacts of Prophetic Reason

By on in Theology

To see if there is anything of more value from Scripture in terms of the overall prophetic message of those before us, we have many examples as offered by the historical records. Specifically, to get a look into the character of God, by what He says and does. From His judgment, and his mercy, we have historical accounts of what happened to Israel and Judah while they were in open rebellion against Him. So, to see further how God thinks and acts while people reject Him, here is the basic three-part message of His prophets and their indictments.

You have broken the covenant, and you had better repent

The people of Yahweh (Israel and Judah) were guilty of violating their covenant oath with Him. Their egregious behaviors specifically were concerning idolatry, social injustice, and religious ritualism. Therefore, the pre-exilic prophets were highly active in confronting the people for these offenses with explicit and specific details about where they were in rebellion and error. Their continued and stored up sin before Yahweh was at the root of their objection, and they were pressed upon the people to name names, specific conditions and incidents, and the depravity they were engaged in.

The three indictments of God through the prophets were as follows:

Idolatry

They were actively worshiping the idols of Baal and Asherah. The people were desecrating the temple, defiling themselves, and serving pagan false gods that were forbidden according to the Mosaic covenant with Yahweh.

Biblical Injustice

There were people oppressed, neglected, abused, and mistreated among the people of Yahweh. In violation of covenant stipulations given in Deuteronomy, the people were not abiding by the terms of their agreement with God. To care for the needy, support those in poverty, feed the hungry, care for the orphan, and plead the widow’s cause.

Religious Ritualism

The people exchanged their relationship with Yahweh for rote religious practices that included sacrifices and going through the motions of ceremonies, offerings, and fasting.

If you do not repent, you and other nations will be judged

The prophet’s direct and clear message was to inform offenders that their impending doom is certain unless they turn back and return to Yahweh. If they do not, they will be destroyed by violence, enslavement, disease, hunger, and disaster.

There is hope beyond judgment

For Israel, Judah, and the nations, there is hope for restoration in the future beyond judgment. Relationships will overshadow ritual and legalism. A new exodus will occur through a new covenant, and the Lord will dwell in the hearts of His people.

The Poetic Riddles of Time

By on in Theology

There are numerous types of poetic and literary expressions read among the prophetic writings to articulate what Yahweh both directly and indirectly says. He is either actively in direct discourse with His people or He speaks solely through His prophets to convey His messages in a way He deems suitable.

It is sometimes recognized that with rhyme, there is the ease of recall. So, for memory retention and recollection, people can bring back to mind what they hear and learn. Through the various forms of verbal and written expression, people can internalize and repeat what messages they hear from Yahweh or His prophets in terms of what they read or hear. Structurally, words and meanings become assembled to support comprehension and reinforce sense where there is a lasting effect. At times messages are phonetically repeatable to drive home a point expressed. Easier shared and brought back to mind with others as instructions and lessons are learned.

A certain cause and effect occur with the verbal and literary language that unfold through the prophets. This cause and effect bring about a certain impact to effectively reach people where a more passive expression may not entirely be retained or sink in. For example, if Yahweh intends to bring fear and distress among people, He can choose to use language in any form He sees fit to convey an unmistakable meaning. It is a type of speech-act that corresponds to the circumstances which require attention, correction, or a new direction because of an offense of error.

At times Yahweh has used language to deliver theological messaging about the hardness of heart concerning people who reject Him. Given over to an inability to hear, see, or perceive what Yahweh would say through His prophets or in His word, people cannot receive what is communicated for their recovery and benefit. They eventually become their undoing and destruction without a possibility of reconciliation.

The prophets and poetry go hand-in-hand. While at times there is prose to narrate events or story, the use of poetry is often applied to prophetic messages in figures of speech and literary morphology of various types that comprise of an anthology, or a body of overall work. It is not for philosophical purposes, but to dispense truth in a way that reaches people’s literal realities. Through figurative language, analogies, metaphors, anthropomorphism, hyperbole, and other figures of speech, poetry is the currency by which Biblical prophets transmit and receive messages to correct, form, or cultivate relationships. Namely between Yahweh and His people and between themselves and their listeners.

The Poetry of Inversion

By on in Theology

As a theological principle, those who hold themselves out as a “prophet” or “seer” today really eventually run in contradiction to God and what is in His word. This post concerns the reasons false prophets are a problem.

Within the Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern historical context of Canaan, Israel and Judah’s kings established for themselves “court prophets” who served the interests of their royal leadership. A leadership that was disloyal and disobedient to Yahweh sought to install for themselves prophets of Yahweh and foreign gods to offset the pressures from true prophets of Yahweh who spoke God’s Word. The ancient Biblical kings of Judah and Israel appointed prophets beholden to them and served their interests as a priority and not according to the truth of what Yahweh revealed in His word through the Deuterocanonical covenant and His prophets that would appear before them.

These were prophets selected and put into position as the Kings of Israel and Judah observed what the kings of other nations did to organize and put their prophets of false gods before them, and their people. As the people of Yahweh sought to put a King before them to be like other nations, the kings of Israel and Judah put false prophets before them to be like other nations. In essence, this was yet another rejection of the God, His Word, and the covenant that was formed between Him and them as His people. The kings of Israel and Judah knew that the false prophets and priests would bring pagan gods to them and their people to worship and serve. Still, their rejection of God in this way was not fully complete in the absence of outright contradiction and opposition to what the prophets of Yahweh advised, instructed, or decreed on His behalf.

The historical and biblical case of Jeremiah 28:5-11 illustrates this matter clearly. The confusion and uncertainty caused by Hananiah eventually brought confrontation between him and Jeremiah. Moreover, the false prophet Hananiah caused people to trust a lie and not the truth of God’s message through Jeremiah. While it appeared that Yahweh’s message through Jeremiah was temporarily thwarted, He used adverse circumstances to make a clear theological point about obstruction and dishonest behavior as an agent of God’s interests and His message.

As false prophets place their loyalties and obligations across competing interests, people of all levels within their Ancient Near Eastern context commit idolatry. Before Yahweh, a grievous sin facilitated by the kings, priests, prophets, and others to live an idolatrous lifestyle and live a lie that would eventually contribute to their demise. Judah, who was in Babylon’s captivity, were there because of their outright rejection of God, which included idolatry. Those who remained in Israel and Judah were still steeped in the practice of rebellion while learning nothing about the circumstances that befell their people according to God’s warnings and judgment.

The leadership that sets in place people, systems, and processes that cause God’s people to sin against Him and each other is condemned with severe repudiation, judgment, and punishment. From a Biblical perspective, passage after passage, there is no uncertainty about it or a shortage of stories to articulate the harshest of condemnation.

Road of Redemption

By on in Theology

Along Israel’s coastal plain, adjacent to the Mediterranean Sea, there is an ancient geological route formation from Egypt to Mesopotamia. A route through the Fertile Crescent and into Iraq between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers far to the North East of Israel. Placed along this route is a road recognized and entitled the “Via Maris.” The etymology of the Via Maris name comes from Latin as the “way of the sea.” This interpretation appears in both the Old and New Testament rendering of the prophecy concerning the LORD’s arrival and ministry (Isaiah 9:1, Matthew 4:15).

But there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish; in earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He shall make it glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles.

The people who walk in darkness
Will see a great light;
Those who live in a dark land,
The light will shine on them.
Isaiah 9:1-2

As the LORD has centered the nation of Israel upon the earth, one could surmise that He has shaped the land through natural processes over time. To position the arrival of His ministry from Galilee, where people become subject to His redemptive plan. From where “the light which will shine upon them” appears between the Mediterranean Sea and beyond the Jordan River. Through the entire length of the Israeli coast along the Via Maris, the King’s Highway, and the Ridge Route. Written in scripture, the LORD’s message and glory go forward as the light that shines in the shadow of death (Isaiah 9:2 NKJV).

What Israel gains in terms of wealth and power through the Via Maris route and topography, the LORD’s purposes prevail. While we recognize the Via Maris as having economic and defense advantages, Israel can collect tariffs, conduct trade, and accept tribute from its citizens and visitors. Routes are controlled to direct traffic and regulate supply for military campaigns in its defense along the Via Maris.

So, it would appear under the new covenant, the strategic placement of the Via Maris is outward going and not only a source for wealth and power Israel’s prosperity and security. It is for the LORD’s purposes in support of His redemptive mission.

The Via Maris is a strategic route of geocentric convergence among nations. For His chosen people within Israel, along the Way of the Sea and outward. Beyond the Jordan by the Via Maris to the gentiles. The coming and going of people centered around the gospel and the LORD’s mission, beginning in His ministry with His Apostles.