Old Testament: Poetry & Prophecy | Exam 2

What is the responsibility of the prophet?

to represent God before the people of God by proclaiming the message of God

What is the purpose of the books of prophecy?

to deliver the message of God to His people

What are the four primary biblical terms for a prophet?

1. prophet
2. seer
3. man of God
4. messenger of the Lord

What does "prophet" emphasize?

communication of God's message for His people

What does "seer" emphasize?

the reception of God's message for His people (such as through visions)

What does "messenger of the Lord" emphasize?

the primary responsibility of the prophet: to deliver God's message to God's people

What are the three tests for a prophet (i.e., to determine whether he is true or false)?

1. Does the prophet turn the people of God TO or AWAY from God and His Word?
2. Does the prophet use means of divination or occultism?
3. Do all the prophet's predictions come to pass?

What are the meanings of forthtelling/proclamation prophecy and foretelling/predictive prophecy?

all of the prophecies are forth telling, but you must have forth telling prophecy to have foretelling prophecy
(think of foretelling being inside the circle of forth telling)

What are the four themes of the classical prophets?

1. confrontation of sin
2. call for repentance
3. announcement of judgement
4. assurance of hope

What are the four temporal perspectives of the prophets? How do these relate to the four themes?

1. the prophet's own times - the present
(themes: confrontation of sin, call for repentance)
2. God's impending judgement - the near future
(theme: announcement of judgement, specifically for the exiles)
3. the 1st coming of the Messiah to die - the dista

What is the remnant?

a group of people whom God preserves in faithfulness to Himself even in the midst of and through His judgement

What is the day of the Lord?

the future pouring out of God's wrath in judgement upon sinful humanity

subgenre: disaster prophecy

announcement of imminent or future disaster due to sin
form:
situation - statement of the occasion, specifically the sin or reason for the disaster
messenger formula - "thus says the Lord" or "hear this word"
prediction - description of disaster to come,

subgenre: woe

similar to disaster prophecy, but introduced by "woe to you/those who...

subgenre: salvation prophecy

opposite of the disaster prophecy but with positive contents - announcement of future restoration of divine disaster, i.e. hope

subgenre: dirge

funeral lament spoken over the people of God as though they were already dead, i.e. judged by God

subgenre: lawsuit

an indictment spoken over the people of God as if they were on trial; God is usually the prosecutor and/or judge
form: charge, witnesses, pleases, testimony, evidence, verdicts, and sentences

subgenre: vision

the prophet's report of a divine vision
form: terms such as "see", "made to see", "and behold" followed by a description of the vision

subgenre: narrative

description prose of prophetic commissions and instruction about symbolic actions

subgenre: apocalyptic

characterized by dreams and visions with elaborate and strange imagery and symbolism

subgenre: disputation

the speaker tries to persuade the audience of some perspective

subgenre: praise psalm

extolling the person or work of God

subgenre: lament

the prophet complains to God

Jonah:
- time period
- prophet to Israel or Judah
- main theme

pre exilic
to Israel/Ninevah
God's love for Gentiles

Amos:
- time period
- prophet to Israel or Judah
- main theme

pre exilic
to Israel
judgement against prosperous Israel

Hosea:
- time period
- prophet to Israel or Judah
- main theme

pre exilic
Israel
spiritual adultery and loyal love

Isaiah:
- time period
- prophet to Israel or Judah
- main theme

pre exilic
Judah
salvation ("little Bible")

Micah:
- time period
- prophet to Israel or Judah
- main theme

pre exilic
Judah
salvation ("little Isaiah)

Nahum:
- time period
- prophet to Israel or Judah
- main theme

pre exilic
Judah
judgement against Ninevah

Zephaniah:
- time period
- prophet to Israel or Judah
- main theme

pre exilic
Judah
the day of the Lord

Habakkuk:
- time period
- prophet to Israel or Judah
- main theme

pre exilic
Judah
faith

Jeremiah:
- time period
- prophet to Israel or Judah
- main theme

pre exilic
Judah
impending judgement of Judah

Obadiah:
- time period
- prophet to Israel or Judah
- main theme

pre exilic
Judah
judgement against Edom

Daniel:
- time period
- prophet to Israel or Judah
- main theme

exilic
Judah
God's sovereign plan

Ezekiel:
- time period
- prophet to Israel or Judah
- main theme

exilic
Judah
the glory of God

Joel
- time period
- prophet to Israel or Judah
- main theme

post exilic
Judah
the day of the Lord

Haggai:
- time period
- prophet to Israel or Judah
- main theme

post exilic
Judah
rebuild the temple now

Zechariah:
- time period
- prophet to Israel or Judah
- main theme

post exilic
Judah
rebuild the temple for the future

Malachi:
- time period
- prophet to Israel or Judah
- main theme

post exilic
Judah
moral and spiritual lethargy

What are the themes of the book of Jonah? (3)

1. God loves Gentiles as well as his chosen nation, Israel
2. God's salvation is universal, for Jew and Gentile
3. Therefore, any exclusive mindset is wrong. God's people had forgotten that He wanted to bless all peoples through them and that they were to

Why should this book be considered as historical (i.e., recording actual events) (4 reasons)?

1. It is presented as history
2. The Jews have regarded the book as historical from ancient times
3. Jonah was a historical person
4. Jesus believed in the historicity of this book

Why is Jonah unique among the prophetic books?

it focuses more upon the person of the prophet rather than the message of the prophet

Where was Jonah directed to go by God and for what reason?

Nineveh
they must repent or in 40 days, Ninevah will be overthrown

Why did Jonah run away?

the Israelites knew well of the cruelty of the Assyrians
Jonah and other Israelites were very unfavorable regarding the idea of God forgiving the Ninevites of anything; they much rather preferred that God judge them

What happened after Jonah announced God's judgment in Nineveh?

they all repented and God changed His mind about judging them

What did Jonah think of this outcome?

he pouts
he wanted God to judge them

What lesson did God have to teach Jonah (4:9-11)? How does this apply to all of us?

God loves ALL people; Jesus died for ALL people; God desires ALL people to repent and be saved
therefore, our attitude toward all people should reflect God's attitude toward all people

What are the themes of the book of Amos? (5)

1. external worship apart from right living that reflects a right heart is sickening to God
2. God expects His people to reflect His own character by being just
3. God will judge all people, including His chosen people
4. God's judgement was imminent
5. E

What is the meaning of Amos' name and why is this significant for a prophet?

burden-bearer"
the messages of the prophets were often called a burden because of their heavy nature

What were the conditions in Israel during the ministry of Amos, and why is this significant in his prophecies?

Jeroboam's reign as a time of great military, political, and economic success - the golden age of the Northern Kingdom of Israel
significant because the sins of the good times were predictable:
greed, indulgence, immorality, injustice, oppression, self-su

What does Amos specifically prophesy regarding God's judgment of Israel (5:27; 7:11, 17)?

God's judgement was imminent

In Amos, what is the rhetorical/emotional effect of the 8 judgments intended to be?

It starts outward of countries that are far away and keeps getting closer and closer until it finally ends with the judgement of Israel itself

In Amos, what are the five visions symbolic of?

God's impending judgement

How does the book end (9:11-15)?

assurance of HOPE

What is the theme of the book of Hosea?

God's loyal love for His rebellious people

What is the meaning of Hosea's name?

salvation
equivalent of Joshua, Hosea, and in the NT-Jesus!!!

What is significant about the word chesed or "loyal love"?

it means loyal, steadfast love or unfailing mercy (God is a God of loyal love, and He wants His people to reflect that back)
Hosea is very emotional to his appeal to Israel to repent

In Hosea, what happens in chapters 1-3? What does this symbolize?

God tells Hosea to take a prostitute for a wife named Gomer
Gomer is unfaithful which is symbolic of Israel's unfaithfulness to God

What is the significance of Hosea's children?

son Jezreel: means "scattered by God"
daughter Lo-Ruhamah: means "not loved"
son Lo-Ammi: means "not my people

What are the 3 themes of the book of Isaiah?

1. salvation
2. the need for salvation due to sin
3. the provision of salvation through the Messiah

What is the significance of Isaiah's name?

means "Yahweh is salvation

What do the terms "Deutero-Isaiah" and "Trito-Isaiah" mean? How do these relate to the unity of Isaiah?

Deutero-Isaiah: 2 authors wrote the book
Trito-Isaiah: 3 authors wrote the book
these 2 ideas deny the unity and dating of the book

What are the 5 reasons for accepting the unity of Isaiah?

1. Jewish tradition from early on
2. internal evidence implies that there is only one author (themes and phrases)
3. since God is sovereign over the future, He knows the future and sometimes reveals it to His prophets
4. Jesus and other NT writers quote f

What is the general teaching about the Messiah in Isaiah 4:2; 7:14; 9:6-7; 11:1-5; 52:13-53:12 and 61:1-3? (6)

he's the Branch of the Lord
a Virgin will be with child and bear a son....Immanuel
His deity and reign - "the gov shall be upon his shoulders"
His righteous reign
His suffering and death
His comings

How is the Hebrew word almah to be understood? (2 ways)

1. just an unmarried woman (virgin or not)
2. Greek word can only mean virgin

How was the sign fulfilled in Isaiah 7:14? Was there a contemporary fulfillment (to Ahaz), a future fulfillment (Mary and Jesus), or a combination?

there was given a "sign" that Ahaz understood to be fulfillment of that sign, but this is also later with Mary (could've been the birth of Isaiah's own son)
combination

The world-power in Isaiah chs. 1-39 is ____.

Assyria

The world-power in Isaiah chs. 40-66 is ____.

Babylon

What is the basic subject matter and mood of Isaiah chs. 1-39?

Assyria was soon to be God's tool of judgement against Israel, and His tool of discipline against Judah
the invasion of Assyria was a major crisis for both Israel and Judah during Isaiah's ministry

What is the basic subject matter and mood in Isaiah chs. 40-66?

Isaiah correctly predicts that Babylon would be eventually God's tool of judgement against Judah, because they did not learn the lessons of Israel and continued in sin

What are Isaiah's "Servant Songs"? Who is to be identified as the Servant of the Lord?

servant of Yahweh was to be the one who obeys God and accomplishes his will
the servant of Yahweh was to be the nation of Israel, but they failed
so, it was also to be the remnant of Israel, that is,
the faithful within Israel, they would only fulfill thi

What are the themes of the book of Micah? What other prophetic book is it similar to?

1. condemnation of empty ritualism
2. generally the same themes as Isaiah - therefore this book has been called "Little Isaiah

Micah consists of three sermons beginning with the word ____.

hear

How does each of these three sermons end?

assurance of hope

How is Micah classified regarding Messianic prophecy?

the assurance of hope is the Messiah

What is the famous Messianic prophecy in Micah 5:2?

foretelling of where Jesus would be born (Bethlehem)

What are the themes of the book of Nahum?

1. God's judgement against the cruel nation info Assyria, represented by its capital Ninevah
2. The comfort of God's people by assuring them that this oppressive nation would certainly be judged by God

What is the larger significance of Nahum for all of God's people?

Assyria is representative of all of God's enemies and the enemies of God's peoples of all times who will eventually be judged by God

What is the significance of Nahum with regard to the contents of the book?

means consolation or comfort
Nahum's message was intended to provide just that for Judah

Nahum's prophecies here are directed against what nation?

Ninevah (Assyria)

In Nahum, the downfall of Ninevah was accomplished by what other nation?

Babylon

What is the theme of the book of Zephaniah?

the day of the Lord

What king and event is Zephaniah associated with?

Josiah
before the reforms under Josiah
Assyria was in decline and Babylon on the rise

What are the themes of the book of Habakkuk?

1. God is trustworthy even when His work is beyond our understanding
2. Therefore, God's people are to live by faith in God

What is the date of Habakkuk (in general, not the specific year)?

shortly before the downfall of Judah, probs during the reign of King Jehoikim

What is the key verse of Habakkuk and in what NT books is this quoted?

the righteous will live by faith"
quoted in Romans, Galatians, and Hebrews

What were the two problems Habakkuk was having with God?

1. Why do the wicked prosper and the righteous suffer?
2. How can You judge us through people more sinful than we are?

theological question of Habakkuk

Why do the wicked prosper and the righteous suffer?

How does Habakkuk end (ch. 3)? What is the significance of this (especially the last few verses)?

praise psalm
he says that even if God takes away everything (like crops and animals), he will REJOICE IN THE LAWD!!! HALLELUJAH!