Understanding the Old Testament Prophets

Meditating in the major and minor prophets over the last 50 years has been both a source of great spiritual stimulation and stirring and also a source of confusion to me. I'll never forget in my college years in San Jose I and a friend spent a whole day alone with God in the Saratoga hills, and I felt I was supposed to read the whole book of Isaiah before the day was out, which I eventually did - noting themes and things God seemed to be speaking to me. I would say of all the prophets, the prophet Jeremiah has most impacted me, Isaiah being a close runner up. Gradually I'm learning to more appreciate them all.

While I believe in the present day office and gifting of prophets and prophetesses, and from time to time I pray for this important calling and gifting to grow and reach more fullness in the body of Christ worldwide today, when Paul said in Ephesians 2:20 (regarding the household or people that God is building in the present day) these words, "having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets,..." I believe he was speaking of the Old Testament prophets. And thus if they were and still are part of the foundation the people of God today is being built on, then we best be familiar with them. So I started this little introduction and then got bogged down with other things. So I'm going to post it as is - hoping some day I will be able to give more attention to it.

Major (deemed “major” mainly because of size or length of book) = Isaiah 66 chapters, Jeremiah 52, Ezekiel 48;

Minor = Daniel 12; Hosea 14; Joel 3; Amos 9; Obadiah 1; Jonah 4; Micah 7; Nahum 3; Habakkuk 3; Zephaniah 3; Haggai 2; Zechariah 14; Malachi 4;

Non Writer Prophets = Aaron – Moses’s prophet Exodus 7:1; Moses – Deut. 34:10; Samuel; Nathan & Gad (prophets to King David); Elijah; Elisha; Micaiah; Huldah; Balaam; Enoch (Jude 14,15);

Time Periods and Places:

Prophets to Judah                Prophets to Israel       Prophet to Edom     Prophets to Assyria

Before the Exile in Judah

Joel(835-796)                                                                Obadiah(848-841)                  Jonah(780-750)

Isaiah(740-680)                                Hosea(755-715)

Micah(740-690)                                Amos(765-750)

Jeremiah(627-580)                                                                                                                                      Nahum(630-612)

Habakkuk(625-610)

Zephania(625-610)

During the Exile in Baylon

Ezekiel(593-571)

Daniel(605-535)

After the Exile in Jerusalem

Haggai(520)

Zechariah(520-515)

Malachi(450-400)      

What is a prophet and what does a prophet do? A prophet is someone who speaks in place of someone else. He tells the people what God wants them to know. Sometimes he speaks of what God wants them to know about the present. Sometimes about the future.

Did God ever tell prophets to do strange (to us) things:  Yes usually as a sign or illustration to those God was seeking to speak to. He didn’t just speak through their words. Sometimes also through their God ordained or commanded circumstances.       

Examples: Isaiah walked around mostly naked and barefoot for three years as a sign and token against Egypt and Cush  ((Isa. 20:2-4); Jeremiah wore an expensive waist band for a while then traveled far away and hid it in a river bank; then went sometime later and retrieved it and showed it to the people (Jer. 13:1-11); Ezekiel commanded by God not to mourn when his wife died (Ezek. 24:15-24); and once God told him to cook his bread over human feces to illustrate the judgment that was coming to Israel; he negotiated with God and God allowed him to use cow dung instead (Ezek. 4:12-15).

What are we told in the N.T. about the Old T. prophets?                                                               They often prophesied about the coming Messiah.  Matthew 2:22,23 first fulfilled prophecy re: Christ spoken of in N.T.: “Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: ‘BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL,” which translated means, “GOD WITH US”. (See Isaiah 7:14)      See also Matthew 2:5,6, & Micah 5:2 and many more.

They were often killed or beaten or imprisoned for telling the truth – “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her!...” Matthew 23:37                Zechariah and Uriah for sure were murdered. Others murdered according to tradition and non Biblical history/writings such as: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel.

They sometimes predicted things about Christ and His coming kingdom that they didn’t fully understand – I Peter 1:10-12

What else do we need to know about the OT prophets?

They often had to speak very hard things to Israel and Judah regarding their disobedience and rebellion: Isaiah 1:4; Jeremiah 2:7,8; Ezekiel 5:7-9

They often were commanded by God to speak hope to Israel and Judah despite their disobedience and rebellion: Isa. 40:1f; Jeremiah 33:6,7; Ezekiel 34:11-15

They sometimes felt inadequate, sinful and unworthy:  Exodus 3:11, 4:10; Isaiah 6:5; Jeremiah 1:4-10;

They sometimes had to confront false prophets: Elijah in I Kings 18:17-40; Jeremiah in Jeremiah 28;