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The Prophets: Bearers of Challenge and Hope

The Prophets: Bearers of Challenge and Hope. Prophets and their Common Characteristics. Who is a PROPHET ? A biblical prophet was not who could tell the future A prophet was a person chosen by God to communicate a message of salvation What is a PROPHECY ?

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The Prophets: Bearers of Challenge and Hope

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  1. The Prophets: Bearers of Challenge and Hope

  2. Prophets and their Common Characteristics • Who is a PROPHET? • A biblical prophet was not who could tell the future • A prophet was a person chosen by God to communicate a message of salvation • What is a PROPHECY? • A message communicated by prophets on behalf of God, usually a message of devine direction or consolation for the prophet’s time. • Some messages might be fulfilled in the future

  3. Why do the Israelites need Prophets? • When the Israelites strayed from their covenant relationship with God – God sent leaders to encourage a return to the covenant • A prophet was used to help the Israelites when they lost their way back to the source of all life and hope, God • Prophets play an important role in the cycle of redemption • God creates/enters in to a covenant, it is good • Humanity falls in to idolatry, resulting in disease, war and grief • God sends teachers, kings, prophets or others who lead the people to repentance • The people return to following the Covenant • Peace and God’s healing return

  4. Characteristics of the Prophets • They obeyed God • Hebrew word for obedience meant “listening” or “hearing” • An obedient person heard God’s Word and followed it (Ex 15:26). • To be obedient was simply to align oneself with God’s will • They know that God wanted his people to treat all people with justice • “justice” also translated as “righteousness” and “judgment” • Divine justice calls for fair and equitable distribution of life’s needs • Based on the idea that “all humans have a dignity and worth and are children of God • God’s love for all creation is shown with Love in Action

  5. Continues… • They lived good, moral lives themselves. • Committed to ethical responsibility • Ten Commandments are the fundamental rules of conduct for God’s Chosen People • They understood that God wanted his people to come back to him with their whole selves. • The prophets needed to be able to ask the Israelites to return the Covenant in body, mind and spirit • Israelites were unsure of how to accomplish this • God chose men and women who were committed to a relationship with God, and to be his voice among the people

  6. Does the characteristics sound familiar? Who else had these characteristics? The Judges and Kings

  7. A study of Elijah – The Prophetic Checklist • We will read the following verses, then work as a class • 1 Kings 17:1-6 (drought predicted by Elijah • 1 Kings 17:7-24 (Elijah and the widow) • 1 Kings, CH 18 (Elijah and the prophets of Baal) • 1 Kings 19:1-18 (flight to Horeb) • 1 Kings 19:19-21 (call of Elisha) • 1 Kings CH 21 (seizure of Naboth’s vineyard) • 2 Kings 2:1-18 (Elisha succeeds Elijah)

  8. Morning directions • Come in quietly • Take out a piece of paper and a pen or pencil • Be ready for prayer` • Title reflection: Cross Training your spirituality

  9. Cross training your spirituality • How good are you at “cross-training your spirituality”? Perhaps you are stronger at some parts than others. Can you identify strengths and weaknesses?

  10. Major and Minor Prophets • Old Testament prophets are grouped in different ways because there are so many of them • The prophets in 1st and 2nd Samuel and 1st and 2nd Kings are sometimes know as non-writing prophets because they left no written record of their own outside of these 2 books • Samuel – Nathan – Gad – Elijah – and Elisha • The writing prophets have biblical books named after them that contain their writings • Divided into 2 groups • Major (4 prophets) and Minor ( 9 prophets)

  11. Nine minor prophets - • Hosea Joel • Amos Obadiah • Jonah Micah • Nahum Habakkuk • Zephaniah Haggai • Prophets are called former and latter based on how each book was written • Former wrote in prose – Samuel, Nathan, Gad, Elijah and Elisha • Latter wrote in poetry – major prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, & Ezekiel) and minor prophets (Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi)

  12. Exploring Different Prophets • Now read Elisha and the widow’s oil 2 Kings 4:1-7 • How can this be re-written to make it more like poetry • Now read Ezekiel 1:1-28 • How can this be re-written to make it more like everyday speech?

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