As you look at the overall forest of the prophets, what observations can you make about them as a whole?
What new teaching have you heard as you listened to the lectures?
What old teaching have you heard?
Any other thoughts you would like to share?
(click on "comments" under this post to add your comments)
The overview of the Prophets is awesome. I have enjoyed listening to each of them and especially seeing the links to Christ as the fulfillment.
ReplyDeleteHugh,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed the audio overview. When Dr. Staats gave this overview, he sat in his chair and never opened a Bible or a notebook. He just walked through each chapter from memory and all of these audio files were one long lecture.
Keep listening to the overview. Double check the references in your Bible. (Note in Jeremiah, Dr. Staats meant to say that the hopeful section is from ch. 30 - 33, but he said "3 to 33." Later he repeats and says "30 to 33." He knows what he means but on very rare occasions it doesn't come out. The only other time I've noticed in listening to these audio files for years is in Isaiah.
See if you can find it...(hint - check Is. 26 and 28).
Any specific NEW teaching that you heard?
Anyone else want to weigh in?
--- marty ---
I have had Dr. Staats for Old Testament survey and have encountered much of this material as a result. I have been pouring through my notes as I have listened to his opening lectures and cross referencing a great deal of what I studied then with what we are looking at now. It has been fun. the problem is that his voice and his teaching are so relaxing that if I listen to it at night, I end up drifting off! He is very melodic.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I will be looking forward to going deeper into the prophets and the in particular the Christology of the prophets as we move forward. Brian
Brian,
ReplyDeleteIt's good to try to see the connections to other Old Testament books. The prophets did not minister in a vacuum. That is one of the reasons for studying them in a chronological fashion. To know what was happening WHEN each of the prophets spoke for God, helps us to understand their message in the context of its immediate audience. This can help us apply their message to our own time and audience.
--- marty ---
I believe that the Prophets as a whole have in common with each other is that they all seem to point people back to God, or give them warning so that they will turn back to the Lord.
ReplyDeleteA New teaching I heard was on Nahum and how judgement eventually did come upon Nineveh. Not sure how I never saw this before.
An old teaching I heard was on Daniel, just because I've read this book a lot, it is one of my favorites.
How long after Jonah did Nahum prophecy?
DeleteDo you think we are in the "time of the toes" Dr. Staats spoke about in Daniel 2?
Who do you take to be the prince of Daniel 9? Christ? Antichrist? Someone else?
--- marty ---
Marty,
DeleteI believe Nahum prophesied around ~615BC about 130 years or some after the last recorded prophecy of Jonah in ~740BC.
Personally I do believe we are in the times of the toes that Daniel mentions in chapter 2. I also think that the prince mentioned in Daniel 9:25 and 26 is Jesus. But the second half of verse 26 I'm not totally sure about and I could see that price being someone else, possible the antichrist, where it says:
"...and the people of the prince who shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end of it shall be with a flood, and even to the end shall be war; desolation's are determined"
What all of the prophets have in common is that they point to the redeeming power of Christ. Each situation, each people group, each nation of which a prophet speaks is indicative of a human and his or her relationship with God.
ReplyDeleteThe relationship breaks as a result of our human wickedness. God calls us back into obedience, but we refuse. His punishment then is manifested upon the deserving offender, or the offender is granted pardon as a result of intercession or repentance.
The missing link in the relationships described by the prophets, of course, is the Christ of God who came to earth so that the cycle could be broken and we could live in a right relationship with the creator. I love reading the prophets, even if the message does become redundant, because I need to understand first the depravity of man and second, the awesome love of God.
Brian
Brian,
ReplyDeleteGood insight into some of the commonalities.
These people were so like us. What differences do you see between the prophets?
For example, Jeremiah's message to Judah may have been similar to Isaiah's but what about his style and method? Could there be some clues to us in dealing with people in our world about ways to bring the message of God (the gospel) to them?
--- marty ---
It is difficult to project our points of view onto those of a true prophet. What I mean is that just like it is hard for the person in the pew to understand why I am compelled to preach the Gospel - why I would give up anything and everything to do it - It is difficult for me, or any one of us, to understand the power of God as He worked through the great biblical prophets. the courage, the boldness, the sheer audacity is compelling - considering that they carried those characteristics in the face of certain torture and death at times.
ReplyDeleteEach manipulated the ear of the people who they were called to serve according to the nature of those people i.e. the political, social, religious and economic cultures of the people so that particular "nerves" cold be touched and the people duly "motivated."
Good comment, but you need to sign your name at the bottom of your comment if you are posting as Anonymous.
Delete--- marty ---
I enjoy reading the Prophets because I enjoy watching how committed God is to us. Each of the Prophets deal with a group of people who repeatedly break their covenants with God, go after things they should hate, and reject the sacrifices God makes to be in relationship with them. God works through each of the Prophets to create new ways in which He can relate to us. I think that each of the Prophets prove to us that God is way more committed to our relationship with him than we are.
ReplyDeleteDr. Staats does a great job of pointing us to the redeeming power of Christ within all of the Prophets. It is because of his teaching that I can clearly see how Christ is concealed in the Old Testament.