Old Testament Prophecy (2)

This is part 2 of 3 of chapter 4 of my book, Biblical Glasses.

Did the prophets really predict the future?

The rest of the Old Testament is written by people we have already met, such as King David, King Solomon, and the prophets. It tells in great detail how they lived to serve God. They bear all of their feelings and emotions, as the intimacy of their relationships with God is revealed. That is what God wants from us: An intimate relationship. We often long for the same thing, but we do not know how to go about being intimate with God. When you have a dynamic relationship with your Creator, it is really amazing to see Him working in your life. Knowledge of the Old Testament is critical to better understand God and the methods He uses to purify us, thereby allowing us to get closer, more intimate, with Him.

We have the Book of Psalms, written by several authors to include emotional songs and hymns to God. Some of the Psalms are Messianic prophecies, such as Psalm 22, which reveals much about Jesus Christ. In fact, Psalm 22 nearly mirrors the experience of Jesus Christ as He was crucified. Amazingly, the Psalms were written between 1100 and 700 years before the time of Christ and long before crucifixion even existed!

Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon, all written by Solomon, follow the Book of Psalms. Solomon’s writings discuss the sovereignty of God, morality, ethics, marriage, and wise living according to God’s character as revealed by His law.

Before discussing the prophets who wrote parts of the Old Testament, it is critical to mention the ministries of Elijah and Elisha. Although they did not contribute any written Scripture, their ministries offer significant insight to both God’s will and His power.

Elijah worked hard to get Ahab, king of Israel (874–853 B.C.), to repent of his evil ways. Ahab’s wife, Jezebel, one of the most evil women in all of history, was a big part of the problem. Elijah worked miracles, such as raining down fire with supernatural power during a battle of miracles against 450 priests of the false god, Baal, and bringing a widow’s son back to life during a horrible famine that led to women eating their own children (cannibalism) to feed themselves. Elijah is often considered to be one of the greatest men ever to live because of his zealous dedication to serving God. He is mentioned throughout the Bible as a hero of the faith. When Elijah retired, his understudy, Elisha, took over his ministry.

Elisha served God, preaching repentance and performing miracles that often benefited the poor. However, his most famous encounter, which is for us a lesson in obedience, was with Naaman, an enemy of Israel, a Syrian infected with a horrible skin disease called leprosy.

Naaman was desperate to be cured of his ailment. Hearing of a healing prophet in Israel, he went to the enemy’s territory to be made well. Elisha, the healing prophet, refused to see him. Instead, Elisha called out to Naaman, telling him to wash seven times in the Jordan River. Naaman thought the Jordan River was too muddy; if all it took to be healed was seven baths in a river, he could do that when he returned home. Naaman was too proud to follow Elisha’s instructions, so he began the journey back to Syria, keeping both his pride and his leprosy.

But on the way, Naaman’s servant said to him, “If the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’” (2 Kings 5:13)! So Naaman humbled himself, returned to the muddy Jordan River, and washed seven times. He was healed!

Similarly, God asks us to obey Him. His commands are not hard; they are perfect. It is for our benefit that we received the law. We must simply be willing to give up our pride and obey God. This was Elisha’s message. Elisha died of illness in his old age, but his brilliant ministry will not be forgotten.

Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel follow Solomon’s writings in the Bible with prophecies and warnings to the people of their time regarding God’s judgment. The people had to sincerely repent to avoid judgment for their sins against God, but they would not do so. Isaiah, whose name means “God is salvation,” covered nearly sixty years of history (740–681 B.C.) with messages of repentance. His prophecies were detailed and diverse, covering events in several nations over many years—even to the last days. God would deliver His people from their sin once and for all with a Savior.

Jeremiah, whose name means “God is exalted,” covered nearly fifty years of history (627–580 B.C.) with messages of God’s sovereignty. God is in control; He can build up or destroy a nation for His purpose at a time of His choosing. The Bible says: “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He chose for His inheritance” (Psalm 33:12). He wants His people to trust Him alone. Jeremiah suffered many threats and much ridicule as a prophet in his day; he wrote Lamentations to portray his emotional and physical struggles.

Ezekiel, whose name means “God will strengthen,” covered just over twenty years of history (593–571 B.C.) with messages of righteousness and obedience to God’s law. Ezekiel showed the people their sins, giving them reason to turn back to God. Along with Daniel, these men represent the Major Prophets.

Daniel, whose name means “God is judge,” entered the picture in the sixth century B.C., during Babylonian captivity. You probably know of his adventure in the lion’s den and his friends’ survival in the fiery furnace. You may also be familiar with the phrase, the writing on the wall. That phrase originates with Daniel. He worked directly under King Nebuchadnezzar as a dream interpreter and government official. Daniel was an amazing prophet, revealing much information on end times detail. He pleaded with God to help him understand what he was writing, but God told Daniel what he wrote would be understood in the time when the things were happening. Because we are able to understand much of Daniel’s prophecy today, we can be certain the end times are near.

Many of Daniel’s forecasts were double prophecies representing two or more events in the future. One of his prophecies foretold the rebuilding of the Temple both after Babylonian captivity ended and in the end times. Another predicted that the Messiah would come as Savior, and then He would come again in the end times to claim the throne forever by permanently destroying evil.

The Minor Prophets warned the people of Israel and Judah to either repent or else experience the wrath of God. Each of them is known for their prophecy to a specific group of people at various times during the reign of the kings in Judah and Israel. The Minor Prophets are listed below with the time period during which they served, the group of people whom they served, and a brief mention of their capacity.

- Hosea (753–715 B.C./Israel) married an adulterous wife as instructed by God to show how Israel was adulterous in its relationship with God.
- Joel (835–796 B.C./Judah) described a great plague of locusts that caused a terrible famine; it could have been avoided with repentance.
- Amos (760–750 B.C./Israel) was a shepherd from Judah who predicted the fall of all Israel’s neighboring nations with detailed accuracy.
- Obadiah (855–840 B.C./Judah), in writing the Old Testament’s shortest book, warned of the downfall of Edom, a neighbor and enemy of the Hebrew people, long before it occurred.
- Jonah (793–753 B.C./Israel) presented the well-known account about his disobedience to God. He was supposed to warn the city of Nineveh of God’s impending judgment, but he did not want to visit the evil city. When he ran from God, God had him spend three days in the belly of a giant fish until he was ready to obey. When he obeyed and spoke against Nineveh, the pagan city believed and was saved! Jonah wanted the city to fall, but it was temporarily spared. Jonah’s three-day span in the belly of a fish is a similitude of Jesus’ death and resurrection after three days.
- Micah (742–687 B.C./Judah) was a contemporary of Isaiah; their messages of repentance were quite similar. Micah’s message did not contain the abundant Messianic prophecy of Isaiah’s.
- Nahum (663–654 B.C./Judah), like Jonah, prophesied against Nineveh.
- Habakkuk (612–589 B.C./Judah) served as somewhat of a mediator between God and His people, asking why things were occurring, much like Job had done. God responded to him, and Habakkuk offered a powerful prayer of praise and thanks to God.
- Zephaniah (640–621 B.C./Judah) simply prophesied against Judah and the great city of Jerusalem, as they were going to fall within fifty years. Zephaniah was one of the last hopes for repentance before God’s judgment.
- Haggai (530–520 B.C./remnant) preached with Zechariah. See below.
- Zechariah (530–520 B.C./remnant) preached with Haggai to those Jews who had returned from captivity to build the Temple. They needed some motivational support; these prophets provided it while instructing them to remain faithful to God.
- Malachi (approximately 440 B.C./remnant), preached to Ezra, Nehemiah, and the Jews who were building the wall around Jerusalem. Although little is known about Malachi, his message included significant Messianic prophecy, which led the people to begin looking for their Savior, Who would arrive just over 400 years later.